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Post by cmontheburnie on Aug 20, 2008 7:42:24 GMT 1
So all the councillors who are supposed to represent the interests of Blackburn all sat around in silence and never spoke up in support or had anything to say ? now theres a surprise.
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Post by theobserver on Aug 23, 2008 18:33:44 GMT 1
WLC's Property Services Manager Jack Orr yesterday afternoon, 18th August, presented to the Whitburn & Blackburn Local Area Committee his departments recommendations on Blackburn United Community Football Club's redevelopment proposal. In summary, he outlined that the Club's proposal hinged upon Murrayfield Park being developed for residential housing and the Club relocating to the Council owned open space to the east of the current ground. He further outlined that this was contrary to the Council's open space strategy as outlined in their Local Plan (2005) and would also present problems for WLC's Education Services as existing secondary school rolls in the Blackburn area cannot currently support any new residential development not already included in the aforementioned Local Plan. Consequently, Property Services recommended that the Club's proposals cannot be taken forward in their present form. Blackburn United Vice President Ian McGinty was then given the opportunity to put forward a response and he explained that the Club's vision was to provide a modern facility for both the Club and the wider community, a facility that would allow the club to grow and engage further with the community and that would provide a focal point to help steer local youngsters away from anti social behaviour. Ian then stated that Murrayfield Park could not presently be considered public open space as the ground was for the Club's sole use under the terms of a ground lease that runs to 2021 and that the proposed redevelopment of the open space to the east of the village would see the site in question remain as predominantly open space reconfigured on much the same footprint with only a section of it being fenced off for the Club's exclusive use. Ian underlined that he felt Sport Scotland, who are the prime movers against public open space in communities being used for residential/commercial development, would not oppose a redevelopment that provided a modern sporting facility at it's core. Councillor Jim Swan suggested that much of what the Club proposed may be enabled as part of the ongoing Blackburn Partnership initiative. The Chair of the meeting moved to minute the recommendation from Property Services and indicated that the Club should engage with Property Services on the matter in an attempt to identify a possible acceptable alternative. Ian indicated the Club's willingness to do so. Progress will be posted on the main website and on this thread as and when it happens. As cmontheburnie said, where are these great Blackburn Councillors to speak up on the clubs behalf? nowhere to be seen I bet. Useless shower.
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brians
Senior Member
Posts: 37
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Post by brians on Aug 24, 2008 22:25:42 GMT 1
On behalf of the youth teams at Blackburn we would like to thanks Ian and the rest of the guys for their continued work and effort in trying to secure BLACKBURN COMMUNITY FOOTBALL CLUB, FIT FOR PURPOSE training and Playing facilities. I think we must be the only village in the county who dont even have a astro kick pitch...speaks volumes the poor cousins.
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Post by Ian on Aug 28, 2008 12:42:27 GMT 1
Thanks Brian, the support of you and the under age teams is very much appreciated and may very well be important in the months ahead should we need to bring more pressure to bear on the Council.
It goes without saying that we desperately need to have them commit in some way to helping us if they're not willing to sanction the fully backed plan we approached them with. A plan that was central to helping grow our fledgling community football club. Their failure to give, in my opinion, any real and proper consideration to a proposal that would have been cost neutral to them but to instead allow it to fall at the very first hurdle by hiding behind the 'Open Space' issues in their Local Plan of 2005 is bitterly disappointing.
It's now a question of us trying to press them into bringing forward their own vision for improved football facilities in Blackburn, something which the Local Area Committee confirmed their Property Services people were willing to work with us on. We shall see as, rest assured, we won't be letting it go!!
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Post by Admin on Feb 8, 2009 21:53:19 GMT 1
It's now a question of us trying to press them into bringing forward their own vision for improved football facilities in Blackburn, something which the Local Area Committee confirmed their Property Services people were willing to work with us on. We shall see as, rest assured, we won't be letting it go!! After an October 2008 meeting with WLC Property Services, Sports & Educational Services and Land Services it has become apparent that WLC do not appear to have a vision for improved football facilities in Blackburn. Consequently, the Club have developed an alternative proposal for ground regeneration which would allow for stabilisation, growth and further engagement with the community of Blackburn. With the ongoing help of Councillor Gordon Beurskens this proposal has been presented to WLC Council Officers and LAC Councillors as part of the Club's recently released Development Plan. The Club consider the regeneration outlined in the Development Plan essential to accommodate the existing needs of the football teams playing on a weekly basis in the village while also allowing for further expansion and engagement with the local community. The regeneration proposal and the Club Development Plan can be viewed at..... blackburnunited.homestead.com/Redevelopment.htmlAny comments would be gratefully received.
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Post by theobserver on Feb 16, 2009 21:31:28 GMT 1
From what I hear the Council are again dragging their heels, I've heard there is cash earmarked for new facilities but the Council dont want to spend it for some reason, which is a disgrace.
West Calder dont have a community club but they get a spanking new ground, we do have a community club with a load of youth teams but get f**k all - as usual. Apart from Beurskins, where are all the other Blackburn Cooncillors? sitting on there erses raking in expenses no doubt.
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Post by Admin on Feb 25, 2009 13:33:54 GMT 1
A meeting, attended by all four Blackburn & Whitburn Local Area Committee Councillors and by Council Officers representing Community Services, NETs and Land Services, Culture and Leisure Services, Property Services and Sports Development, was held in Council Chambers on Tuesday 24th March 2009. At this meeting it was recognised by Council Officers that the Blackburn Partnership Centre, previously promoted by WLC as a project that might offer solutions to the decaying football facilities in Blackburn, should not stand in the way of allocated budget investment in the Murrayfield Park area at the heart of the community. Consequently, Council Officers have undertaken to investigate options that might go some way towards meeting the Clubs aspirations as outlined in the Club Development Plan (see link in previous Admin post) and also largely mirrored in WLC's own "West Lothian Outdoor Facilities Strategy" of March 2005 (conducted by Torkildsen Barclay Leisure & Sports Consultants) - see pages 34 to 37 of the document found by clicking on this link www.westlothian.gov.uk/media/downloaddoc/1799441/1856768/1856791 - and report back to Club and Councillors in six weeks time. Further updates will continue to be posted on this thread and on the main website where necessary.
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Post by Admin on May 20, 2009 17:49:03 GMT 1
Consequently, Council Officers have undertaken to investigate options that might go some way towards meeting the Clubs aspirations as outlined in the Club Development Plan and report back to Club and Councillors in six weeks time. A further meeting with local Councillors and Council Officers went ahead on Friday 15th May to discuss options proposed by WLC Construction Services to provide the Club with a six dressing room changing facility. Of seven options, four involved variations on a theme, either being part of the proposed new Partnership Centre, earmarked for 2014 at the earliest, or being part of an extended Community Centre. Given that Councillor Buerskens had confirmed at a previous meeting that the Chief Executive of WLC has indicated that there are no plans for the Partnership Centre to include sporting facilities (seemingly the recent investment at St. Kentigern's Academy is intended to provide this) and that the ultimate provision of such a Partnership Centre is likely to result in the demolition of the Community Centre, none of these options were pursued. A fifth option was to emulate the Broxburn United project now underway at Albyn Park but the costs involved would considerably dwarf what WLC have budgeted to invest in Blackburn. Consequently, only two of the seven options were discussed at any length: 1. Extend the existing Ash Grove changing facility next to the Community Centre 2. Build a new, Sibcas type construction between Murrayfield Park and the all-weather park After lengthy discussion it was decided that Council Officers would pursue further discussions with WLC Construction Services on these two options with a view to ultimately agreeing with the Club the most appropriate course of action, at which point any necessary plans would be drawn up. It should, though, be noted that the build costs of either option are significantly greater than the available budget. Accordingly, once agreement is reached on which option provides best value and once appropriate plans are in place, WLC have offered to make available their own in-house experts to help source additional funding from the various bodies that provide grant aid for this type of project. Further updates will continue to be posted on this thread and on the main website. (For further reference see blackburnunited.homestead.com/Redevelopment.html)
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Post by Admin on Sept 17, 2010 22:59:33 GMT 1
Although there has been no recent update on our redevelopment plans until now, there has been continuing progress behind the scenes, the most notable of which has seen the approval of a joint Club and WLC Stage 1 submission to SportScotland for matched project funding of a scheme broadly in line with Option 1 outlined in the previous post. In alignment with this preferred option, work has begun to grass the all-weather surface adjacent to the Community Centre. The necessary Stage 2 application process is now underway too and, amongst many other things, will require submissions detailing the support and backing of groups and representatives from across the community, the kind of help which the Club will be vigorously pursuing over the coming months. A meeting with the WLC appointed design team is also pencilled in for the near future. Further updates will continue to be posted on this thread and on the main website as and where appropriate. (For further reference see blackburnunited.homestead.com/Redevelopment.html )
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Post by Admin on Jun 17, 2011 20:49:03 GMT 1
The Club's redevelopment plans have now been submitted for formal planning approval and the application can be reviewed online at planning.westlothian.gov.uk/WAM133/showCaseFile.do;jsessionid=76103B5AFAB298A3B5FFE76CB10AED4D?action=show&appType=Planning&appNumber=0344/FUL/11 . Any positive comments in support of the plans can be added by clicking on the 'Comment On Application' button and the Club would encourage anyone interested in the future of football in Blackburn to do so. A large percentage of the required funding is now in place and the joint Club and WLC Stage 2 submission to SportScotland for a significant part of the remaining funding will be submitted before the end of June, with a decision from the body which is the main source of Government and National Lottery fund distribution expected by the end of July 2011. Our submission will be accompanied by letters of support from representatives of many of our local community organisations as well as letters from school head teachers, from MP's and MSP's and from organisations committed to the growth of sporting provision in the community. These letters will also be supported by a lengthy list of signatures from the wider Blackburn community and the Club thanks each and every person who kindly took the time to add their support. As ever, further updates will continue to be posted on this thread and on the main website as and when appropriate.
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Post by burnieman on Jun 22, 2011 19:40:45 GMT 1
I hear there was further good news on the funding front yesterday?
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Post by Admin on Apr 23, 2012 20:04:54 GMT 1
I hear there was further good news on the funding front yesterday? It's been a long time in coming, and involved a lot of patient work behind the scenes, but the Club are delighted to announce that the final tranche of funding for our ground redevelopment plans has been secured from SportScotland and that work on the project is due to start before the end of April 2012. Go to blackburnunited.homestead.com/NewMurrayfieldPark.html for the full story.
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