Latest News on Training Ground
The Trust’s work on the Training Ground project has continued apace in the past two months. The Trust has been examining new sites locally following opposition to the training ground being located at Ashburton Playing Fields. Where sites have looked especially promising, they have been discussed with the club and in some instances have been visited by management on both the playing and non-playing side. We will continue to explore these sites and progress them with the landlords as appropriate.
The club and the Trust were very disappointed with the political position on Ashburton Playing Fields, which was considered an ideal site due to the club’s link with the Oasis Academy, based next door. We maintain that wherever the club’s training ground is located there will be associated community benefits provided by the CPFC Foundation (originally Football in the Community) on site, as a result we have not yet given up on Ashburton and a more focused targeted local survey and campaign is being formulated.
During the past couple of months the Trust has proceeded with a tender for the detailed design of the training ground. This process is almost complete and we expect to appoint an architect within weeks. The architects will be key partners with the Trust in moving the project forward and will provide project management as part of their remit.
In light of the imminent appointment of the architects the Trust has decided not to renew Raj’s contract as project manager. We believe that with the appointment of the architects we are acquiring specific expertise in the area of planning management which will facilitate the project moving on to the next stage. Raj has completed the handover of the project to the board, including the new members with specific expertise in planning and construction, who are now finalising the tender for the build. We’re extremely grateful to Raj for successfully steering the project through the formulative stages and for laying the foundations for future completion.
We have also strengthened the board in recent weeks following an appeal to Palace fans for expertise in all different areas. The response has been fantastic and has meant new volunteers at both board level and behind the scenes. We will continue to look for assistance during the coming months.
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