VIEWPOINT by David Cozens. Lyme Regis News 12^th August 2005

LYME Regis Football Club's withdrawal from the leadership of the sports field project at Strawberry Field need not be the end of the story.

But the ball, at this stage, is clearly in the court of the town council, bearing in mind that the district authority has recognised a need for more recreational facilities in Lyme.

It is fairly common knowledge, too, that the planners would look favourably on a more modest scheme than that proposed by the football club.

Commitment and leadership from the town council is vital, however, if the land is to be put to sensible recreational use.

Development will obviously not come cheap. But, having spent around £57,000 acquiring the ground, the town council needs to look at some form of utilisation.

The authority suffered some criticism for buying land on which there was no planning consent but it clearly saw an opportunity for the long-term benefit of the ratepayers and moved swiftly.

Some with long memories still rue the day when lack of foresight saw the council miss out on a golden opportunity to provide central parking in the town when it could have bought The Grove site for a snip.

Let us hope that the Strawberry field acquisition will bear fruit in the not too distant future, and that a will to move forward ensures that councillors will not be cast in the role of sheep farmers!