Councillors visit site of new pitch and clubhouse

COUNCILLORS visited AFC Henley in preparation for its facilities to be upgraded.

Club chairman Trevor Howell invited them on Saturday as that was its busiest day of the season.

The town council is to submit a planning application to South Oxfordshire District Council for a full-sized 3G pitch, a new clubhouse and a car park.

This will be part of the redevelopment of the council’s land at 357 Reading Road next to Tesco into 50 homes with 40 per cent affordable housing.

In 2019 the council agreed a deal with Theale developer T A Fisher to replace the existing facilties in return for being allowed to build 35 flats but later pulled out.

The clubhouse, which would be used mainly by AFC Henley and Henley Hockey Club, would cost at least £2million.

Part of the funding would come from the Football Foundation.

The visiting councillors were Mayor Michelle Thomas, Ian Reissmann and Will Hamilton, who are part of a committee responsible for the project.

Mr Howell said: “I wanted councillors, especially those on the steering committee, to see how it looks on a busy day. I thought it would be useful to see and get a better context of what the development will do and how it will help.

“The specific allocation of everything will affect the way we work.” Councillor Thomas said: “These are much-needed changes. They will be losing a pitch-and-a-half so that will have to be overcome. We are going to have to fully maximise the other places they play at, the YMCA and Harpsden.

“It’s exciting to imagine what it will be like when it’s finished. It will have been a long time coming. We are eight years into this because of various changes that had to be made.”

Cllr Hamilton said: “It’s always good to see AFC. They do a fantastic job and run a great operation for kids. In this World Cup year, we must do everything that we can for male, female, girls’ and boys’ football by providing them with the facilities.

“The project has taken the best part of eight years because of a number of different problems but hopefully this time round we will get our fantastic three-storey community clubhouse for the hockey club, football club and a third-party gym.

“On the other side of the road we’ll have the housing development. We hope that planning permission will come through some time next year.

“One of the key things is that the building is viable and for that it needs a third-party operator to rent and run it. Trying to find someone to take it on is a big task for the council.”