Athletics stadium to be pulled down; SPORTS BLOW: Club chairman angry as members face long journeys to train.Byline: By Rebekah Oruye TALENTED athletes will have their dreams of training at a local stadium dashed because council bosses have decided to demolish de·mol·ish tr.v. de·mol·ished, de·mol·ish·ing, de·mol·ish·es 1. To tear down completely; raze. 2. To do away with completely; put an end to. 3. the area's only such facility. It is the end of the road for Cannock stadium which has become plagued by vandalism and antisocial antisocial /an·ti·so·cial/ (-so´sh'l) 1. denoting behavior that violates the rights of others, societal mores, or the law. 2. denoting the specific personality traits seen in antisocial personality disorder. behaviour in recent months. The now derelict derelict n. something or someone who is abandoned, such as a ship left to drift at sea or a homeless person ignored by family and society. (See: abandon, dereliction) DERELICT, common law. building on Pye Green Pye Green is a suburb of the Cannock area, running from Chadsmoor and Hednesford, across the Pye Green valley and to the edge of Cannock Chase. Like Cannock, it is situated between the A34 and A460 roads. Road was once home to the Cannock and Stafford Athletics Club. And club chiefs have slammed the decision to spend pounds 100,000 on tearing it down as a "tragedy" for budding young athletes. Chairman Gary Denning said: "Once it's gone, it's gone, and it will be a great loss of a first-class facility for the whole area. "Many parents have been driving their children to the Stafford stadium ten miles away to train for what we believed was a temporary solution. This news may put some people off altogether." Three years ago, the council proposed to sell the stadium, but faced opposition from its users who felt a consultation was needed. An alternative plan to use the profits from a sale to build a new stadium nearby was rejected by a government inquiry last July, which forbade for·bade v. A past tense of forbid. forbade or forbad Verb the past tense of forbid forbade forbid the council from selling the land. A full council meeting agreed the stadium should come down. Mr Denning said: "Initially we did not want to lose the stadium but when we were told a new one would be built at Blake Valley Technology College, we worked with the council on the preparation for the new site. "After the public inquiry it seems all parties involved are losing out and the council is not proving it is as committed to sport as we hoped. "Surely it would not have cost much more than pounds 100,000 to restore the stadium to its former condition and then it could have provided a better public service to Cannock." Key issues outlined in a report by the council's property services manager Geoff Winslow, included the high costs of paying for security to combat increased levels of antisocial behaviour. Although the building will be torn down, the council plans to bring three adjacent football pitches back into use for the community. Demolition work is expected to begin in July. CAPTION(S): Quality facility: Cannock stadium. Inset, club chairman Gary Denning. |
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