Proposed New Stadium @ Booker
May 4, 2011
Now there’s very little likelihood of me ever learning to fly a plane or a helicopter for that matter, but I’d hate to see Booker Airpark bulldozed over to provide a new stadium for Wycombe Wanderers and Wasps.
From when our twin daughters, Phoebe and Isabella, were babes in arms we’ve enjoyed going to The Pad Bar & Restaurant at Booker to watch the gliders take off and land, trainee helicopter pilots hover and swoop across the great expanse of lush green grass, and generally enjoy a pint (or two) and a bite to eat. Great place to people watch as well!
The size of development that’s under consideration at Booker would have an horrendous knock on effect not just for residents of Lane End but for Marlow people as well. Disruption during the building works for months on end and nightmare traffic problems every time there was a match, on top of losing this area of Green Belt. Add the hundreds of cars coming and going every day if the proposed additional housing along with a hotel and conference facility and we could be looking at grid lock at peak times/rush hour.
Currently, neither Wanderers or Wasps fill the present stadium to capacity on a regular basis, so the argument for relocating to provide a much needed bigger stadium is pretty spurious. Even if the option of expanding the existing stadium is not a tenable one, there are more acceptable solutions than the Booker option. Far better to look at one of the five Brownfield sites again that have been earmarked for development before we start surrendering our Green Belt.
Wasps have threatened to up sticks and relocate if they don’t get their way. Much as I admire them as a team (I’m an ex rugby player myself) I say let them leave if by them staying it means the destruction of Booker.
It will be interesting to see if there’s any fall out for any of the sitting Conservative councilors who have backed the new stadium proposal at Booker. Not long to wait now.
Whoever you decide to support and however you decide to vote in the referendum, please at least make the effort if you haven’t already done so by post. I think we should follow Australia’s example and make it compulsory for people to vote in all our elections, even if it’s just putting a cross against ‘none of the above’.
No one has the right to moan about what our elected representatives do in our name if they can’t be bothered to use their right to vote.
