LAST week's article and Opinion in the Malvern Gazette (April 15) has prompted this letter on behalf of Newtown Sports Juniors Football Club.

We can ill afford to spend large amounts of either time or money being led up the garden path (or should that be down Sling Lane) by Malvern Hills District Council.

Our discussions, to work in partnership with the council for the benefit of local children, began in autumn 2003 at an MHDC grants award evening.

As is the way with these evenings, conversations started and our chairman mentioned the acute lack of suitable pitches within Malvern.

Who should then suggest an opportunity to our club? Tom Wells, yes, the very same Tom Wells who, some 18 months after discussions began, has now changed his mind.

This change of mind happened within nine working days of the formal announcement of the date of the General Election. In fact, a representative from MHDC was due to appear at our committee meeting on April 10 to answer questions on the Sling Lane issue but cried off only three days after the election date was announced.

We also appreciate the sensitivities of the residents of the Sling Lane environs.

To formally place on record, Newtown Sports Junior FC, as a basic requirement of any lease, would have had to: 1. Maintain free access to the area and not erect any fencing; 2. Ensure all flora and fauna were adequately protected and maintained; 3. Ensure any highways requirements were met - this would obviously include access and parking issues; 4. Maintain existing litter bins; 5. Maintain existing public rights of way. In essence, nothing would have changed.

We would concede that, subject to planning permission, we would have sought to construct a simple changing room with toilets. We would also have sought to improve the drainage and quality of the pitches. All this would have been funded privately and when not used by ourselves on Saturday mornings or Sunday afternoons, these enhancements would have been available to the wider community.

It would appear that about a hundred letters of objection have caused a prospective Member of Parliament to lead the council into a very public U-turn and quotes aimed at placating the club, such as "we'll find it somewhere more suitable", do not fill me with any confidence for the future.

Richard Davies, Hon. Secretary, Newtown Sports Juniors Football Club.