The question of Somerset County Cricket Club moving to a new out-of-town site has again come to the fore during a meeting between Peter Anderson and a Taunton Deane planning officer.

During the meeting the Chief Executive asked Taunton Deane to identify a site that the club could move to in the Taunton area should a buyer for the present site come forward.

Anderson then went on to give the background reasons why he feels that it is in the interest of the county to look for a relocation package.

He said: "Five years ago Somerset realised that with the intentions to stage internationals at Bristol and on Hampshire's new ground at Southampton, we were in danger of being marginalised.

"At the AGM at that time we were authorized by the members on a four-to-one vote to thoroughly investigate the possibilities of finding a purchaser for the site, with the proviso that 66% of the members would have to agree to any decision before any action could be taken.

He went on: "We got very close to a deal whereby a brand new stadium costing £12 million, with car parking and a nursery ground, would be provided, along with £1million in cash for the club, in return for the site we currently occupy. The proposals for the current site were along the lines of a 'Cribbs Causeway' style of development with 400 retail units.

"Sadly the deal could not be put together because the potential buyer of the County Ground could not find a suitable site for us to relocate to."

The Chief Executive concluded: "The fact remains that Somerset CCC are being squeezed out of any chance of staging international cricket which is where the ability to earn big money lies."

At the same meeting with the local planning officer, Mr Anderson asked for help with identifying additional car parking space for the forthcoming match against the Australians which starts at the County Ground on July 13th, and which looks likely to attract very large crowds.

© Somerset CCC