Basingstoke Town Football Club gets green light for stadium works

The Camrose stadium was home to the Dragons for more than 70 years

A non-league football club that had to leave its home ground after 70 years has gained planning permission for enhancements at its proposed new home.

Basingstoke Town FC had to leave the Camrose stadium last year when its owner put the site up for sale.

The Southern League team has been using Winchester's City Ground but wants to play matches at nearby Winklebury which does not yet meet FA standards.

The club said permission was "another obstacle removed to secure our future".

The plans, which include a new club house, a covered stand, a covered terrace and turnstiles, would bring the ground up to FA grade C standard - equivalent to the Camrose.

A statement on the club website said: "This is huge news for us as it's another obstacle removed to secure our future as a football club.

"Winklebury represents the best immediate solution for survival, avoiding a financially unsustainable ground share out of the borough for the whole of next season."

The club previously said it needed to carry out a minimum of grade D improvements, costing £150,000, to bring Winklebury up to standard for its current league level.

It said Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and Hampshire FA, which is based at Winklebury, had already been in discussions about funding improvements at the site for the benefit of football at all levels.