Huge blow for club
ARCHITECTS for the scheme to build a medical centre on the grounds of cash-strapped Margate Football Club say they have been dealt a huge blow by Thanet council.
Plans for a two-storey building to house GPs, dentists and an optician have been thrown out.
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An architect of 20 years Mr Creaney says he feels sorry for director Keith Piper, pictured, who worked hard to get the club back into the black
It was hoped the redevelopment of the ground would breathe new life into the struggling club and help funding for the new stadium.
Architect Jon-Marc Creaney from GCA Architects said: "It’s a huge blow to the club and to the developers.
"The thing about it all is we were disappointed with the planning department. The lack of consultation and the problems they picked up could have been easily answered if they’d talked to us.
"We feel we’ve been left in the dark. I’ve never been treated by a planning department like this before."
An architect of 20 years, Mr Creaney says he feels sorry for director Keith Piper, below, who worked hard to get the club back into the black.
The firm now plans to resubmit a planning application in the new year after getting information from the council’s planning department.
He added: "I still need to be fully informed of what we need to do."
Planning committee members voted against the plans, citing the primary care trust’s plans to build its own medical centre in Westbrook.
Planning chairman Ken Gregory said: "The committee refused it on the grounds that they weren’t happy with the intrusion onto the public area, as part of it intruded onto the grass. It also meant plans for the stadium couldn’t go ahead as part of it intruded onto that site.
"The PCT were also concerned as they’re building a new medical centre at Westbrook Bay."
Other points of concern queried where patients would be coming from and the extra travel time they would have to endure.
The club gained a reprieve from a winding-up order last month after struggling to pay a £110,000 Inland Revenue debt.
Disappointed fan Tom McKenna thinks the redevelopment was a chance to help the club out of debt.
He said: "I’m shocked. I thought the council wanted to see the best done for the club, but obviously not. This was meant to be the cornerstone for the redevelopment of the stadium."
2 Comments
by Jon-Marc Creaney, Glasgow
Saturday, January 10 2009, 1:00PM
“The proposed redevelopment of the stadium needs to be seperated from the performance of the team. Football clubs cannot survive on football alone in this day and age and with the support of the fans, the community and the local authority the club would now have a modest sized stadium they could be proud of with some long term sustainability to allow the team to develop without the background financial pressures the plague most clubs in this day and age. Everyone involved in the redevelopment has done so with the best intentions and at huge risk. I wish the club every success for the future and hope that the current setback can be overcome.”
by Susan, Margate, Overlooking Hartsdown
Wednesday, December 31 2008, 12:40AM
“MFC grasping at straws, mismanagement and general lack of interest has killed the club. The managements well advertised mistakes over recent years has caused a an apathetic reaction the public no longer care, apart from a very small number of die hards. Work with what you have before you thinkaout expanding, otherwise you'll still have a big stadium and bad management and average players.”