We understand that the next draft of Dacorum’s local plan has been delayed into 2022. We will just have to be patient and wait longer to find out whether the Thakeham scheme for 1,000 houses on green belt land, with possible sports facilities at Bourne End makes the next draft or not. The Save Broadwater campaign is trying to ensure that our club does not become collateral damage of the scheme, by being moved out of Berko to Bourne End, by our landlords The Berkhamsted Sports Ground Charitable Association Limited (BSGCA).

We expect to hear next month whether Dacorum Council will approve the Berkhamsted Town Council application for Broadwater to be listed as an Asset of Community Value.

Now that covid restrictions are at last lifting, we will be able to attend a question and answer session at the Town Hall on Thursday 19th August at 7:30pm.

The current BSGCA company secretary has announced that he will be moving out of Bourne End to another part of the country. That leaves a vacancy, which we are pleased to note is being advertised. Details can be found in the document located here. Anyone interested should send their application by 13 August to paulforster.bsgca@gmail.com.

We hope that the job will attract applications from well qualified Berkhamsted residents, who understand the importance of the charity keeping our club in the town centre.

Gazette correspondence has recently put the spotlight on another piece of land that the BSGCA holds, which is where the cricket club is. Berkhamsted Raiders have asked our club to clarify whether we have a view on whether the 6 children’s football pitches that are on that site should be closed down to comply with an old Planning Inspector’s ruling of cricket only. Our view is that we would have no objection if the clubs concerned and the BSGCA choose to regularise the position with a planning application. This is the same line that our predecessor club took, when Potten End Royals wanted to play netball on the site. We wish them more success than the netball club had.