Plans for development around Huish Park are expected to be available before Christmas, the minutes of the latest Supporters’ Alliance Group meeting have shown.
The minutes of the meeting held on October 13th were published on Tuesday by the Glovers’ Trust, and include a commitment from chairman Scott Priestnall that the preferred scheme will be open to public consultation before a planning application is submitted.
If you want to read the meeting minutes in full, click – here.
The chairman also told the meeting that he expects a formal application to be submitted next year.
The minutes show Mr Priestnall gave the meeting the following update: “He updated the meeting on the proposed developments during the last few months. He has been working with architects, consultancy firms and the council to produce drawings and to find out what developments are possible. The plans will go to public consultation before being submitted. There has been a lot of activity with the council during the past year. The details of the preferred scheme should be available before Christmas, but no formal application will take place this year. SP explained that he is not looking to just develop the land but to re-develop the stadium.”
When asked for further details on the proposals by Glovers’ Trust chairman Roger Pipe, the minutes show: “SP (Scott Priestnall) answered that there could be small retail establishments, with renting or leasing some buildings. There could be sports clinic and health provision. Also, player accommodation could be on site. There were no plans for office blocks or commercial premises.”
The publication of the minutes follow a series of social media exchanges between the Glovers’ Trust and the club on Monday night in response to an open letter asking questions about the planned development. The letter was drafted by the Trust and signed by other groups, including Gloverscast, and you can read more – here.
The minutes show a commitment from Mr Priestnall to making plans for the Huish Park site’s development open to public scrutiny.
Whilst the proof of pudding (or the publication of the plans for public scrutiny, at least) will be in the eating, the absence of a reference to housing development as part of the preferred scheme is positive, and the name-checked development feels like it could add to the viability of Huish Park as an operation outside matchdays.
In his closing remarks to the meeting, the chairman adds that the club needs “a long-term sustainable future.”
On the subject of the club’s finances, the minutes, Mr Priestnall reiterated that the National League is “still working” to have loans taken by clubs written off by Sport England. Yeovil Town took almost £1m in loans which are subject to “a four-year holiday period” during which no payment is necessary.
As we reported back in October, this detail was part of the chairman’s latest update to supporters. You can read more about that – here.