A council has performed a U-turn on backing the building of a new road on an historic football ground following a weekly newspaper’s campaign.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council has objected to a plan to build a road through the Camrose Ground, which was the home of Basingstoke Town FC until last year.

HTFP reported in February how the Basingstoke Gazette had uncovered a 67-year-old covenant which states the site should remain a sports facility until 2053.

The Gazette said the authority’s objection “now throws doubt” onto Hampshire County Council’s redevelopment plan to improve traffic flow through the town.

Editor Katie French told HTFP: “We are thrilled that the council has now backed Sport England’s objection to building a road through the Camrose stadium.

“This is quite a U-turn for Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and we hope this marks the beginning of the end for the separate planning application to build a housing estate on the historic football ground.

“We will be continuing with our campaign over the course of upcoming months to keep the pressure on authorities to do the right thing for the sake of the town. Losing a sports facility of that size without a like-for-like stadium built in its place would be a scandal as well as short-changing younger generations.

“The response from the football community has been a welcomed one. It’s been really heartening to hear that fans finally feel like they are being listened to.

“I’ve been in touch with journalists in other parts of the country who have seen similar things happen to their local football clubs such as Bury. I’d be interested to hear from anyone else experiencing similar issues.”