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From BHTFC Press Release:
Burgess Hill Town Football Club Chairman Kevin Newell and fellow director Clive Dryden met with Cllr Gordon Marples, Leader of Mid Sussex District Council, Cllr Garry Wall, Cabinet Member for Leisure and Outdoor Services and senior Council Officers to discuss a way forward for the Club.
The discussions, driven by the urgent need for the Club to be able to confirm to the Ryman League that it will be in a position to fulfil its fixtures next year, were frank and constructive.
Both parties recognised that the Council's recent action to serve notice to quit on the Club arose because of problems in obtaining the payment of rent, which had now been overcome. Breaches of planning requirements had previously soured relationships and this, in turn, had adversely impacted on sections of the local community, the Club's players and supporters.
Agreement was reached on various repairs and improvements that need to be carried out and the Council's officers will liase immediately with the Directors to agree a realistic programme of works to be completed before the start of next season. This will include work on the floodlights, safety lighting.
The Council will also work closely with the Club on longer-term projects to restore existing facilities on the ground to appropriate standards.
To enable the Club to continue playing, the Council intends to grant a new, short-term lease to commence when the present one expires in mid October this year. Terms for the new lease were agreed in principle verbally and will be advised in writing to the Ryman League today (Friday).
Mid Sussex District Council and Burgess Hill Town Football Club recognise that a key objective is to find a suitable long-term home for the Club. Every effort will be made by both parties to find an alternative, permanent home for the football club as part of the District Council's Core Strategy work.
"Both sides entered into discussions with a determination to put recent problems to one side and to secure the long-term future of the District's most senior football club which has a century and a quarter of history behind it", said Cllr Gordon Marples, Leader of Mid Sussex District Council.
"We identified issues which need to be addressed and who will be responsible for them. I believe we have struck a new understanding on how we will work together in future, to the benefit of everyone associated with the Club and, equally important, local residents and the wider community.
"Mutual trust has been restored and both parties know where they stand and share an understanding of what needs to be done."
"Our talks with the Council were both open and positive and I am pleased with the outcome", said Kevin Newell, Chairman of Burgess Hill Football Club.
"Much needs to be done to get things where we want them to be, but we will now work closely with the Council. We have given that commitment and therefore have confidence that the Ryman League will now agree to the "Hillians" competing next season. We will know finally next week, after one of the League's regular board meetings.
"There are no winners or losers in any of this. There has been give and take on both sides and, looking ahead, I hope that those people who offered us such great support in the past few weeks will now come forward to help us secure the Club's long-term future.
"We need the community to work with us and know what it expects from us in return."
From Mid Sussex Times, By Phil Dennett:
Bosses at Burgess Hill Town Football Club appealed today for extra time to find a new ground after being given only until October 13 to leave Leylands Park.
The club says it has no time to arrange a ground-sharing arrangement or move into another senior league by next season because of May deadlines on such changes.
Ground landlord Mid Sussex District Council has invoked a clause in the lease to give the club six months' notice. It has 15 years left on its ground lease and 28 years on its pavilion lease.
Chief executive Gary Croydon told the Mid Sussex Times: "The time scale is ludicrous. It is ridiculous and if it goes ahead it will only see the death of the football club as it is today.
See also: Petition to save Burgess Hill
From Club Press Release:
This Notice follows a short correspondence between the Council and the Football Club wherein the Council indicated that it proposed to take steps to forfeit the Club's Lease as a result of what the Council considered to be breaches of the terms of the Lease. Having taken legal advice on the matter the Club was satisfied that it would be entitled to relief against forfeiture on the basis of well established principles of law and the fact that certain statutory provisions for the protection of tenants would have been available to the Football Club.
However, rather than expose themselves to the risk of being challenged in Court, the Council have opted to exercise a clause in the Lease enabling the Council to bring the Lease to an end. The Football Club has always been aware of this clause and as long ago as October 2005 sought assurances from the Council that the clause would not be used to resolve essentially Landlord and Tenant matters.
In a meeting between Gary Croydon, the Chief Executive of the Football Club, and the Club's Solicitor, Anne Halligey, who was then Corporate Strategic Director of the Council gave the Club assurances it was seeking stating that termination of the Football Club Lease would be "politically unacceptable".
We are advised that in reaching the decision to terminate the lease with such far reaching consequences there are a number of procedures which the Council, through their own policies and standing orders, should have complied with. This does not appear to have been the case here and the Club's lawyers are therefore have requested the Council to supply certain further information. Until that information has been received it would be inappropriate for the Club to comment further.
The website spoke to Gary Croydon after reading the above statement ....
"We are in total shock at the club, this has come as a bolt out of the blue"
"We don't understand why the Mid Sussex authority as taken this action"
"Based on their action the outlook looks bleak"
Struggling both on and off the pitch, the club was ordered to pay a total of £2,635 in penalties and charges at Haywards Heath Magistrates Court on Friday (last). After previous battles with landlords Mid Sussex District Council, the club said legal fees and fines had cost it £10,000.
Chief Executive Gary Croydon said: 'Things have been extremely tight for us and to continue along this road will break us. Survival is now extremely tough. I don't know what the future holds.'
Following a disastrous start to the season, Burgess Hill are currently languishing at the bottom of Ryman League Division 1 after dominating the County League 2 seasons ago, Mr Croydon added:
'The financial implications of these fines are there for all to see. We have already suffered from fines and court costs - this latest action is 80% costs - and we have to take our own legal fees into consideration. The bill could now run into 5 figures. For a small football club such as ours that is a burden we are finding very difficult to bear. The local authority seems to want to take these actions against us when the club should be able to grow and prosper. These actions should not have been brought and will achieve nothing other than not allowing us to grow and prosper - if that's what the people want.'
Club directors failed to appear at court proceedings last week to answer 3 charges over the use of floodlights at Leylands Park. Council conditions restrict use of the lights to between 6.45pm and 9.30pm on weekday nights. However, neighbours have complained of a number of breaches, including one during a Youth Cup game that ran into extra time. Solicitor Keith Newell said the match finally finished at 9.58pm. The club pleaded guilty to all charges, having recently been told to pay around £3,500 in fines and charges at Horsham Magistrates Court for similar breaches.
The Leylands ground has been earmarked as a possible site for new housing and the council is known to be keen to find a new home for the team, however, a new site is yet to be found. Mr Croydon said afterwards:
'The local authority notified us that they wished to relocate us but they don't have a piece of land to give us. Where does this leave the club? Do they want to get rid of us, is that what this is all about? They need our land to build houses but they've got nowhere to put us and now they want to fine us whenever possible'.
Further controversy has surrounded an application for new floodlights that would cause less light pollution and a lack of communication between the club and council which finnaly resulted in the summons. Councillors said they had forwarded neighbours' complaints to the club but with no response, while planners promised proposals for expensive halogen lights were far from forthcoming.
Residents in Leylands Ward have also raised concerns over excessive noise and traffic. Mr Newell added:
'We are affecting local residents and that is regrettable but the only real solution is to move away'
The club were ordered to pay fines of £675 plus £1,960 costs, within 28 days. Magistrate Steve Hargreaves said:
'We are dealing with the case of a growing football club clearly outgrowing it's current location in a residential area. However, local residents must be considered in this'
