An Angus junior football club due to be booted out of their ground could get a two-year reprieve, following a “positive” meeting with council officials.
Committee members of Arbroath Sporting Club met Angus Council officers to discuss options for the transfer from Seaton Park, which has been their home since 1973.
The local authority has chosen not to renew the lease and they had been scheduled for eviction at the end of this season. However, a 12-month extension was granted earlier in the year and, following a meeting this week, there is hope a further year may also be approved.
The news comes after the club received a shock rent increase demand from the council which, if enforced, would have seen their annual payment shoot from £900 to £11,000.
However, officers have now agreed to meet with club representatives to “negotiate” and president John Barron said he had been informed the initial offer was a starting point for the local authority.
He said, “It is not as bad as we thought and it has been confirmed there is going to be a year’s extension on the lease and possibly another year, but that is not definite.
“The council seem to have cottoned on that we run a successful car boot sale on the pitch and now they want a bite of the cherry. But without that money the club couldn’t survive.”
He added, “As far as the increase goes, I know the junior team in Tayport has a car boot sale and they are not charged any extra.”
The pitch at Seaton Park has been earmarked for inclusion in the regeneration of the wider Cliffburn area.
Mr Barron added, “The officers reckon that by the time all of the planning with Seaton Park has gone through and they are ready to start work, it will be about three years. We were also reassured they were going to see what they can do to give us a pitch.”
Arbroath Sporting Club has more than 50 years of tradition behind it and the team fear losing Seaton Park could see it fold.IncomeTo help finance the side, a regular Sunday car boot sale is held on the pitch and, without that income, the club would struggle to survive.
The committee have estimated it would cost between £40,000 to £50,000 to bring a new ground up to requirements, as junior league rules state there must be changing rooms and fencing installed.
A deal to share the ground occupied by local rivals Arbroath Vics has been ruled out because the playing surface couldn’t stand up to the heavy use that two teams would inflict.
Mr Barron said the local authority had agreed to investigate the possibility of the club continuing to run a car boot sale from another council site in Arbroath.
“The car boot sale doesn’t have to be on a football pitch and if we can find a vacant car park to hold it in then that would be an option. The council has told us they don’t want to see Arbroath Sporting Club fold and they are keen we get involved with the community clubs in Hercules Den.
“But obviously with being a junior club, we have to have a designated park that is enclosed so people can be charged for entry.”
Plans for improvements to the Cliffburn area were brought forward in a report, which showed Seaton Park could be reinvented as a community hub.
It is hoped such a facility could sustain the area’s regeneration, boost employment and allow the formation of a new federation of tenants.