THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME…
By Trevor Mulligan
(8 December 2011)


With the lodging of the application for planning consent with Bromley Council just around the corner on 9 February 2012, we are re-publishing the following original computer-generated pictures to show everyone what the proposed new stadium at Sandy Lane, St Paul's Cray could eventually look like.

Obviously, these pictures are only for illustration purposes at this time, but Cray Wanderers chairman, Gary Hillman, has confirmed that provided planning permission is granted for the whole of the pocket of land at Sandy Lane, the pictures may well depict a very similar theme in reality.

As with most things in this world, however, nothing is cut and dried and Mr Hillman is expecting a certain amount of reworking of the design of the stadium in order to satisfy Bromley Council's requirements and achieve the ultimate goal of returning our Club to the very heart of its foundation.

In addition to the proposed new stadium, Mr Hillman's exciting plans for the site include an all-weather training pitch, leisure facilities, parking for approximately 500 cars, an extended and improved walking link to Tesco's supermarket, a 108-room hotel and a number of anticipated road improvements in and around the immediate area to support the proposed new infrastructure.

How many new jobs that this project will create upon completion is unquantifiable at this stage, but is expected to be high, and Mr Hillman's regeneration plans will undoubtedly breathe a fresh new optimism and hope to an area that has been in decline for several years.

Currently, sporting facilities already exist on the opposite side of Sandy Lane, with Ruxley Park having already established an artificial ski slope, a golf driving range and 18-hole course, bowls and fishing lakes. Mr Hillman's proposals will undeniably help to enhance these existing facilities for the benefit of all.

Cray Wanderers Football Club also runs a community scheme which will be based at the new ground and the whole development will provide job opportunities for local people. Mr Hillman is confident that the Borough officials will recognise the sporting and employment benefits that Cray Wanderers can bring to the Crays community by virtue of the Sandy Lane Project.

Indications have shown that, both with the conducted Sandy Lane survey (online and offline) and with our Wellwishers' Guestbook entries, members of the public in the Crays and Orpington areas unanimously want this project to succeed. From the footballing point of view, the area has been starved of the game at senior level for almost 40 years – ever since Cray Wanderers FC was banished to exile in Sidcup and, more lately, Bromley from its ancestral home in St Mary Cray. Time is now long overdue to welcome the team home.

If you haven't already done so, please spare a few minutes to fill in our Sandy Lane Survey Form and also leave a message in our Wellwishers' Guestbook. We take note of everyone's comments and we appreciate them all.