We have had an overwhelming level of support to come home, says Cray Wanderers chairman Gary Hillman

CRAY WANDERERS’ planning application for a new football stadium and community facilities at Sandy Lane in St Paul’s Cray will be going to the Planning Committee of Bromley Council with over 1,100 letters of approval from the public and just a handful of objections which is believed to be the biggest ever support for a planning application in the London Borough of Bromley.

Cray Wanderers, who were formed in 1860, are the second oldest football club in the world and have played at Bromley’s Hayes Lane ground since 1988.

Gary Hillman, who has been the club’s chairman since 1994, said: “It’s going to be a great Olympic legacy for London’s biggest borough (Bromley) and will guarantee the future of London’s oldest football club in one of London’s most deprived areas.  Boris Johnson and Seb Coe will be proud of us.

“We have had an overwhelming level of support for the planning application and the community is really behind the project,”

Cray Wanderers agreed a deal with the land owners in 2007 and Mr Hillman said: “As anyone can see, it's just a piece of wasteland next to a noisy Motorway but because it's been wrongly classified as Green Belt it is taking us five years and tens of thousands of pounds to prove Very Special Circumstances why we can build a new ground there.

“We have had to carry out a full EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) which has over 100 documents/surveys from every specialist consultants going through everything you  can think of transport; newts; reptiles; noise, air and light pollution, archaeology; financial assessment etc, etc, which has proven this is a No Profit Development which will bring benefits to the community.  

“The time period has actually helped us because in that time London Borough of Bromley have passed Kent County Cricket club development in Beckenham which in principle is the same as this development and also The Localism Act has been introduced which has put the emphasis on giving local people a bigger say of what they want in their area." 

Ian Jenkins, who first played for the club back in 1993, before being appointed as the club’s manager in 1999 said, “I keep asking the chairman why it's taking so long as really can’t see any reason why anyone would object to it. 

“The Crays have the lowest life expectancy in Greater London area and with the success of the Olympics this will be a real bonus for London Borough of Bromley and will put Cray back on the map.

“I have even had ex-players get in contact from all over the world to say they are going to fly back for the opening game, that must be a first for the Cray area!" 

Tyrone Sterling, who is director of the Cray in The Community Scheme that works with the local Police, schools and various social inclusion projects and plays for the club, added: “We have been working for over four years now with all types of  young people in the area and it has been a real struggle without no base or proper facilities like other clubs have and it's really going to get young people more active and motivated and will replicate what happened at Dartford FC where their new stadium and community base has seen crime rates come down in their area."    

Darren Anslow who runs Cray Wanderers Academy currently at Coopers School, which will move to the new facilities at Sandy Lane said: “With all the twelve Cray Wanderers Youth teams being so successful and being in a big working class football-mad area it's going to give the local talent the maximum opportunity to make a living out of sport.

“We’ve already seen young George Porter come straight into the Cray Wanderers first team from the academy team at age 18, and now three years later he has played professional first team football for Leyton Orient and has been signed by Burnley.”

The club’s Planning Application goes to the Planning Committee on the evening of Thursday 20^th September.

Visit Cray Wanderers’ website: www.pitchero.com/clubs/craywands