Park life row in St Madoes

Nov 18 2011 by Gordon Bannerman, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

PLANS to enhance sporting facilities in a Carse of Gowrie village have kicked-off a heated row.

Proposals for changing rooms, a meeting room and kitchen for St Madoes will be discussed at a public meeting called by the Glencarse Playing Fields Committee on Monday in the community centre.

Normally, such a blueprint would be welcomed.

But the project has triggered a hostile reaction from arguably Perthshire’s most successful under age football club, which already has funding and planning consent in place for portable cabins and floodlighting.

Innes Ross, chairman of Pitfour FC, which now runs seven teams in Perth and Dundee leagues, admitted: “I am all in favour of aspects of the proposals being debated on Monday but the bottom line is that we would end up being charged £650 to play on our own football pitch.

“And in the current economic climate finding that sort of money on top of other expenses would be a major headache.”

A “heads-up meeting” of 60 parents representing more than 100 youngsters playing in teams from U8 to U16 level has already prompted threats of scouting around for a new base.

Ross said: “That would be disappointing because it may signal the start of the break-up of the club which began six years ago and has managed to buck the trend and generate more teams.”

Ross said the fields had been gifted to St Madoes and two years ago local firm GS Brown Construction was prepared to back pavilion plans. But only on the condition that the park would be available for wider use.

“There seemed to be no interest from other groups, particularly with a village hall and community centre in St Madoes. So we pressed on with our own changing room plans and funding options. But Perth and Kinross Council withdrew funding and killed off those initial plans.

“But we accessed support from the Scottish Football Partnership for portable cabins with water, power and floodlighting. The planning process proved tortuous and bizarrely we now have consent for using cabins for two years.”

“There was a stage when we would have welcomed the current pavilion plans. But now our big concern is that we will be asked to pay for playing on a pitch which we have accessed freely and for which we have a £1 annual lease agreement. We are responsible for maintenance of the playing surface.

“We were updated by the playing field committee about proposals for bookings when they briefed us on the resurrected pavilion plans. Not unreasonably GS Brown want to be assured there is scope for meeting ongoing costs.

“But we would be facing a near £700 additional overhead from the start of the year – for a park no one was using six years ago when we started-up. The club has mushroomed to include kids from along the Carse.

“If there are other interested groups keen on using the park no doubt they will make their views known at the meeting. But I suspect there is no need for another facility in the village.

“We have worked well with the playing field committee in the past but there have been tensions recently and now we have petitions circulating in the village.

“It will be interesting to see just who turns up at Monday’s 7.30pm meeting.”