History


In 1996 a local business, The John Stacey Group, donated about 22 acres of land known as Barlow's Plantation, for football and other community use. The area to the north of Tadley, which was a former landfill site, was immediately earmarked for development. A group named The Barlow's Plantation Environmental Trust Ltd (BPET) was created to oversee the project. One of the first moves the newly established group made, was to take advantage of the Government's Landfill Tax Rebate Scheme. This alone generated £120,000. 


Around the same time, Tadley Town Council and Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council conducted a study into recreational facilities in Tadley and the surrounding areas. The findings, which were published in 1997, indicated a serious shortfall in sporting facilities - the most serious being in football pitches.

After the report was published, a further 4 football pitches were lost, which exacerbated this shortage. The Basingstoke and Deane Football Development Council identified Barlow's Plantation as a high priority development site.
Tadley Town Council, Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council and the Barlow's Plantation Environmental Trust formed a partnership to advance plans for the site.

A 99 year sub-lease has been granted to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council on the site. To date a senor pitch, a junior pitch and four mini-pitches with changing facilities and a meeting room have been built -on 8 acres of the available land (Phase 1). The project has been funded by £500,000 available to BPET, a capital grant from Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council (£230,000), and grant aid from the Football Foundation (£803,000), a total of approximately £1.5M.