Freehold transfer of grounds from council to Ramsgate Football Club to be discussed

Ramsgate FC grounds Photo Ramsgate FC

Thanet council is expected to agree to offer the freehold to Ramsgate Football Club for its Southwood site.

The club currently is on a held over lease which ran for 21 years from 1st May 1992 at a rent of £1,500 per annum.

Next week Cabinet members at the authority will discuss a freehold transfer to the club for £265,000 with an overage provision on any uplift in value following a change of use, and a restriction on the use of the land, limiting it to uses as a football club and associated purposes only.

Ramsgate Football Club has been on the site for more than 70 years and provides a service to the community, encouraging children to play sport. It is one of the organisations which takes part in the Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) programme which aims to address food poverty, inactivity, isolation and learning loss by children, through activities and the provision of a hot meal and healthy snacks during school breaks.

Community use at the club has benefitted from a £1 million investment for the new Sun Deck, WW Martin stadium and 3G pitch, with the all-weather surface meaning the ground can be used “every minute of every day” by players of all ages and also by schools, colleges, youth organisations and community teams.

Councillors are expected to approve the transfer to Ramsgate FC at a meeting on September 22. There will be a restriction on the land limiting it to uses as a football club and associated purposes only.

Ramsgate FC takes on Lancing at the WW Martin Stadium this Saturday (September 17) at 3pm. Entry is free for all under 18s.

13 Comments

      • Ton

        Perhaps you did not read the article properly?

        It clearly states that the land is for Football associated use only, so not for building houses!

          • Ramsgate Football Club have been operating there for 70 years and want to continue to do so. TDC seem to be the ones who want to offload the site, not the club wishing to gain the freehold, so I hardly think they’ll be wanting to build houses on it!

    • There was a plan put in 7-8 years during the Local Plan assessment, for 55 dwellings. Several reasons were given for refusal, lack of access & unsustainable.

  1. The owner of the football club and chairman, I know personally. They are football people through and through. Southwood is not likely to become a housing estate.

  2. This is good for Ramsgate and the Football club, For football use and the continuation of the food programme great for the community

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