Local Plan 2011-2031 Proposed Submission Draft

I would like to take a few moments to pen a few words in support of the campaign to improve the sporting facilities in the town of Baldock.

I myself am a long term resident of town, indeed this is the town where I was raised. Whilst I am not opposed to the building of additional housing in the town, I am frankly concerned by the lack of sporting facilities that are on offer within the town. I say this now even at it's current population level.

I am also an avid supporter and season ticket holder of Baldock Town Football Club. Also my ten year old son plays for Baldock Town Youth Football Club.

I often discuss the team I support with my fellow residents of the town, they always seem to show an interest in the progress of the team and demonstrate some interest in maybe attending games. Many of them do, at least once. But unfortunately after one trip to a "home" game in Stotfold, that is where the interest ends. I really do believe from my experiences that there is a healthy fan base for the football team within the town just waiting to be tapped into once they return home. A return to a facility within the town could provide a leisure facility for both current and new residents, breed a sense of community pride in a team that achieve very highly in their respective part of the football pyramid and could also bolster the community in a potentially shared passion for a local football team.

There would also be a huge benefit for the youth system of Baldock Town FC. As I have mentioned, I am also a parent of a BTFC youth player and I have seen with my own eyes the lack of pitch space and the congestion at allowed playing areas for our youth players. One facility for the club at both youth and senior level would also help supply the current demand and supply the potential future demand for playing space for our growing academy.

I would also like to highlight the endeavours made by the senior team to engage the youth team, I cannot remember a Saturday game without some sort of mascot representation by various age groups within the youth system, my son's age group included. Volunteer representatives from both the youth team and the senior team pull out all the stops to give the youth team players a fantastic day out and it is always a resounding success. But again I feel there is far more potential there to be taken advantage of because again, albeit a short journey, the journey to our "home" ground in Stotfold is a stumbling block for what would otherwise be a very keen group of Baldock based parents. The thought of both youth and senior teams sharing one facility within the town, again I feel would be a cornerstone of a potentially very vibrant community and therefore must be considered in any future planning of the town.

I really hope you will take the time to consider my words in your decision making process. We have a wonderful community already here in Baldock and I am sure any further development will only add to it's divergence and strengthen it. But I am also sure there is a passion for our local team here which many feel was taken away from them with the folding of the old team. Many I have spoken to were also ardent supporters of the old BTFC and often tell me they would gladly return to the club upon it's return to the town. We as a populace and yourselves as the relevant authority now have a wonderful opportunity to not only bring something needed and worthwhile to the town, but also return a community focal point to it's rightful place and also to ensure that the right and proper facilities are in place not only for this generation of both the Baldock Town FC senior and youth teams together, but also many generations of this wonderful community servant to follow.