LETTER: Appalled at siting of football stadium

Readers of the County Times report on the delay that Horsham Football Club are experiencing with their proposed new stadium plan (WSCT December 11th) might like to know that the two proposed pitches are not on ‘disused’ golf holes as stated in the article.
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Any current disuse is the result of an ongoing redevelopment of the site for a full 18-hole course.

The holes mentioned were originally planned by the owner to form part of a Junior Golf Academy, which the proposed development (if approved) would reduce considerably.

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Also please note that while it is good to see the same article giving coverage to the petitions surrounding the application, it does not make clear the fact that opponents to this scheme took great care to conduct both a paper petition as well as an online one – not just the online petition reported.

What our signers (both online and paper) indicate is that there is a substantial number of local people – the count was 1,115 in July - who reject these proposals.

Online petitions are invariably prone to inflated numbers by enthusiasts urging others using social media, and we wanted to ensure that opponents less comfortable with electronic methods nevertheless had a voice, as well as encouraging comment from those who would actually be affected.

The paper petition therefore ensured that the opposing lobby had a core of genuinely local residents living in the Southwater and Horsham areas, all of whom are appalled at the implications of siting a football stadium in such a sensitive area.

R.P. MORGAN

Denne Park, Worthing Road, Horsham