Bognor Regis Town’s 3G pitch project hit by likely delay

A £1.3m project will see the grass pitch ripped up and a synthetic surface laid as well as new dressing rooms being built and floodlights replaced.

Work means Bognor will have to start the season playing home games at Chichester City's Oaklands Park ground, and the hope was that the side bossed by Michael Birmingham and Jamie Howell would be back in front of their fans at their home in in under four months.

But that now seems unlikely, according to committee member Russ Chandler, who is heading up the project on behalf of the club.

He explained: "It appears there are outstanding questions from Arun District Council regarding the drainage survey submitted as part of the pre-commencement planning conditions. I was not contacted directly about this and became aware of the update through the planning portal, the same way many of you will have. That is disappointing given the importance of the project.

"We had hoped to see the drainage condition discharged by 4 July. I am currently working to understand the specific queries raised and am speaking with our consultants to get a response turned around quickly. Until then, we cannot confirm whether this will impact the construction start date, but I’m afraid there is a real risk of further delay. Our contractors and the Football Foundation remain fully committed to starting this project as soon as feasibly possible.

"I will continue to push for answers and will update again as soon as I have more certainty.

"We appreciate that many of you are watching this project closely and want regular updates. The reality is that we are often relying on external responses from organisations such as the council or the contractor.

"To help keep everyone informed, we’ll now be posting a short 3G update every Monday, whether there is major news or not. This way, you’ll know exactly when to expect updates and we’ll continue to share what we know and what we’re waiting on, with full transparency.”