YOU may have heard rumours about what is going to happen to the Five Acres site but this is the current situation. I am writing because I am a local resident who is concerned that other residents don't know what is happening and that they can influence it.

The story so far. FANS (Five Acres Is Not For Sale) is a local group that has been working for the last 12 months to find out what is going happen at Five Acres and to try to secure facilities such as leisure, education and a theatre at the site.

FANS are also trying to make sure it is NOT sold to a developer who will almost certainly pepper it with houses, increasing the population of the area, whilst reducing the local facilities available.

FANS called a meeting this week because Five Acres actually is (ironically) going to be for sale by the Homes and Communities Agency who own it.

However, FANS previously listed the site as a community asset, which is a good thing because it means the local community has a one-off opportunity to put forward their own plan of what they would like to see on the site. They also have the opportunity to apply for funding to make that plan a reality. This opportunity will not last forever.

During the last 12 months, FANS has collected a lot of great ideas from local residents about what they would like to see at the site. They now need a group of people to work alongside them to turn these ideas into a working plan that can credibly be put in front of the Homes and Communities Agency alongside those of developers.

Time is short as The Homes and Communities Agency also has their own consultants who will be researching ideas and potential plans (called an Enquiry by Design) in October, so the group needs to form ASAP. Look out for details of the Enquiry by Design because it is something you can also attend and put forward your opinions.

If the group does not form we will undoubtedly lose our local facilities through not demonstrating how much they mean to us.

So, if you care about Five Acres, it is not too late. Our community can work together to develop a plan and prove it is feasible.

If you are interested in joining the group, please email FANS [email protected]">[email protected] and show your support.

This is a great opportunity for us to show what could and should be possible at Five Acres. If we do not we will only have ourselves to blame. Once our facilities are gone they are gone.

Keep community facilities at Five Acres! Get involved and help FANS make this happen, it has been done in other areas and can be done here.

Concerned Resident

Christchurch