ONE of the stories that attracts lots of feedback, whether online or through the post, is the subject of using Old Common as a site for a new Basingstoke Town Football Club stadium.

The arguments on both sides have been rehearsed for years, with passionate residents in Eastrop and elsewhere bemoaning the loss of green space, and passionate fans of the club saying they need a stadium that matches their ambitions.

The latest round in the long-running argument was played out in the council offices, as we report on the front page of today’s edition.

Campaigners against developing the green space thought they had found a defence – a decision by a borough council committee in 1979 to leave Old Common undeveloped, after the construction of the Hilton Hotel.

But Cabinet members agreed with officers’ advice that they were not bound by the decision, clearing at least one hurdle in the way of the club’s desire for a new stadium.

Members were keen to stress that their most recent decision is not an approval for the site to be used for the club.

Indeed, we seem to be a long way from being at a stage where the club can even apply for planning permission.

But what is clear is that the contentiousness of this topic is unlikely to disappear with this decision.

Nearby residents have been quite clear in how much they value the land, and it is also not hard to see why a new stadium would boost a football club on the up.

All we ask for is that the decision-making by the borough council is as thorough and as transparent as possible, so that we can have confidence in whatever decision is reached.