To receive any apologies for absence.

An apology for absence was received from Councillor Jones, Councillor Hill attended as a substitute.

To receive any declarations of interest.

There were no declarations of interest.

To consider the above Call In.

The Chairman informed members that the Panel would first hear from the councillors who had called in the decision, followed by the CEO of Maidenhead United, Jon Adams, who would explain the club’s plans. The issue would then be debated before the Panel came to an agreement on what option to take.

The four options available to the Panel were;

• To take no further action.
• To refer the issue back to Cabinet for reconsideration.
• To refer the issue to full Council.
• To create a sub-group of the Panel which would report back within 14 days.

Councillor Hill addressed the Panel and explained why the decision was taken to proceed with a call in. He said that the original report went to Cabinet and was therefore not properly scrutinised. The nuisance and distribution that the move to Braywick Park was not fully considered in the report, while the impact the move would have on the existing athletics club and rugby club needed to be carefully considered. The land at Braywick was going to be given to Maidenhead United Football Club (MUFC) despite the fact the club counted as a private entity.

There was also concern that in future, the club could sell the land for a housing development which would lose the original purpose of Braywick Park, keeping it as a green space for the use of residents. Parking was another concern, particularly on match days where the number of parking bays may not be sufficient for demand, and the need to marshal the car park and traffic flow effectively. There was no public consultation about the plans, despite the approval from Cabinet. Councillor Hill concluded by suggesting the most appropriate course of action would be to refer the matter to full Council.

The CEO of MUFC informed the Panel of the context to the club’s plans. MUFC were currently playing in the National League, which was the fifth tier of English football, and wanted to ensure that facilities were up to standard should the club be promoted to the Football League. The plans for the new stadium were to increase capacity from the current 4,000 to 5,000 while increasing the number of seats from around 500 at York Road to 2,000 at Braywick Park. Other challenges the club was facing at York Road was the level of facilities and limited access. It was important to note that York Road was not owned by MUFC, it was owned by the Trust for the benefit of Maidenhead, therefore all money would be reinvested back into community.

Maidenhead United had done a significant amount for the local community, with over 10,500 children receiving coaching in sports and other activities. An autism football programme had been successful in Dedworth while there was a total of 44 different MUFC junior teams.

MUFC had started over nine months ago at a new location and wanted to have direct engagement with stakeholders at Braywick. This included the athletics club, the rugby club and SportsAble. There  ...  view the full minutes text for item 49.

To consider passing the following resolution:-

“That under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public

be excluded from the remainder of the meeting whilst discussion takes place

on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as

defined in Paragraphs 1-7 of part I of Schedule 12A of the Act"

RESOLVED UNANIMIOUSLY; That under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting whilst discussion takes place on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 1-7 of part I of Schedule 12A of the Act.

To consider the above Call In.