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| Stephen with Mr Rogocki and Mr Hathaway |
Stephen Metcalfe, local MP
for South Basildon and East Thurrock, has reiterated his support for the
Pegasus club following a visit last Friday.
The future of the club has
been uncertain for some time since the collapse of the Coryton oil refinery
last year. The visit was arranged to follow up action points that arose at an
initial meeting in August. At the meeting last year, Councillors, the Leader of
Thurrock Council, other interested parties and local MP Stephen Metcalfe gave
their unanimous support to the club in its current format, pledging to what
they could to maintain and support the club and this was an opportunity to hear
what progress has been made.
Unfortunately, following
discussions with Pegasus Chairman, Mr Rogocki and General Manager, Mr Hathaway
it appears that the future is as uncertain as ever, especially in light of the
clubs land being included in Thurrock Councils recently published core strategy
review which suggested the site could possibly be used for an alternative use
from its current one.
Pegasus, however, will not be
lost without a fight. Mr Metcalfe has pledged to redouble his efforts and has
agreed to write to both the Council and the Council leadership asking that they
confirm their unwavering support for the club and asking for clarification as
to why the site has been included in their strategy review.
He will also be contacting
the administrators, Pricewaterhouse Coopers to clarify their position on the
potential sale of the site and to reiterate his support for Pegasus.
Commenting, Mr Metcalfe said:
“The club continues to have my full support as it has done since August last
year. I was very disappointed to see that Thurrock Council have included the
club in a recent draft of their core strategy review document – particularly
given that they did not notify Pegasus that this was their intention. This I
believe has the potential to undermine the future sustainability of the club.”
“The club has been an
integral part of the community for decades and I will work hard to support them
in any way I can. The value of the site to the community is immeasurable and I
hope that all those who committed to support the club last year will do so
again and work towards a solution that will reflect this.”
