11thnov04

Lights turn green for Margate

The lights turned green for Nationwide South club Margate on Tuesday night when members of the cabinet of Thanet District Council approved the Heads of Terms agreement, allowing the overdue development of Hartsdown Park to go ahead.

The Council’s decision will now trigger a race to the start line and commit all parties to a legal and binding agreement, in which the football club have retained all their rights.

The approved agreement includes a new 5000-capacity, fully compliant to Conference standard stadium, with an 80/100 bed hotel, medical or veterinary centre, health and fitness suite, themed bar, adventure playground and crèche.

The new stadium will boast facilities including full Conference and Banqueting Suites, private viewing boxes within the hotel, a number of five-a-side pitches, a full-sized astroturf, a shop and a café.

The appointed architects will be on site immediately to prepare the detailed planning application based on the outline permission already in place for the development.

The council has stated that the planning application, project plan and business plan must be lodged with them within 30 days or they will withdraw from the agreement. However, the club expect the planning application to be lodged with the council within three weeks with the other documents to follow within the time span allocated.

The development team is committed to meet all of the conditions imposed within the Heads of Terms agreement between now and when the planning decision is agreed, this will clear the way for work to start on site immediately detailed planning is granted.

The development will commence with the new stadium, which will be complete in time for the club to return to Hartsdown Park for the start of next season. The commercial aspects will continue with completion expected by the end of next year.

The appointment of new directors and fresh funds will stabilise funding and allow manager Chris Kinnear to start rebuilding the playing squad.

www.margate-fc.com


Saturday 13th November 2004
Nationwide South
Margate v Havant & Waterlooville
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Ashford Town FC, Homelands, Ashford Road, Kingsnorth