The Pitching In Isthmian Football League

Hastings on the move?

9 Dec 2022 By Ian Townsend

Hastings United announce potential 2023-24 groundshare at Eastbourne Borough

Hastings United's protracted disagreement with their local council escalated today, with the club announcing plans to groundshare with Eastbourne Borough if the local authority don't change their stance on supporting a new ground to replace Pilot Field.

Planning permission was initially granted for the new development, in an area of the town known as Tilekiln Playing Fields, but the council later withdrew their commitment to sell the land to the club.

United say that it is not financially viable to remain at Pilot Field due to the costs around maintaining ground grading, chiefly those associated with the upkeep of the cavernous wooden stand, whilst the council's stance is that they are 'committed to 'protecting our green spaces for open and free community access, and state 'that the needs of the local community in Hollington who currently use the fields year round for recreation, dog walking and sports is paramount.'

The club today issued a statement on the matter. It reads as follows:

'On Thursday 24th November the Club announced to its supporters at a meeting held at The Pilot Field the issues with constant and rising Ground Maintenance costs plus the significant expenditure now required in the next 12/18 months to comply with ground grading.

To protect our Isthmian League status a Ground share Agreement with Eastbourne Borough FC has been signed with the Club relocating for the 2023/24 season.

The Club’s wish to put on record it’s preference would be to remain at The Pilot Field in the short term and not have to move away from Hastings, but there are no alternatives available within the Hastings area, nor are there sufficient pitches to continue with our Academy programme.

We do have a resolution to grant planning consent to relocate to Tilekiln which would solve all the issues we now face.

We do not accept Cllr Barnett’s decision not to proceed with this very worthy scheme and are delighted that there is now a Full Council meeting scheduled for Thursday 15th December and our relocation is on the agenda for discussion.

If the Council agree on Thursday 15th December that Tilekiln can progress as originally agreed, and confirm they will sign the S106 Agreement which they currently refuse to do, The Club have made a contingency plan that they will submit a planning application in January to erect two stands containing 500 seats to replace the Main Stand seating. This new stand should be in place for the 2023/24 season at Pilot Field subject to a planning consent being issued in a timely manner by the Local Authority to allow these works to be done during the close season.

The cost of the new stands would be absorbed within the Tilekiln development cost and for this reason this cannot be erected without the relocation to follow. When Tilekiln pitches are ready along with the Main Stand the two stands will be relocated to the new site.

We hope that at next weeks Council Meeting sense prevails so that HASTINGS UNITED REMAIN IN HASTINGS and thank all our supporters and Friends of Hastings United for their support.'

Where next?

Can the chasing pack cut the Yellows lead? AFC Sudbury welcome Maldon, we've a big match between Swifts and Stow, and intriguing clashes at the top, bottom and middle. It's our Pitching In Isthmian North preview.