A CONSORTIUM of local business people could make an offer for the Ledbury Football Club ground, to help secure its future as a sports ground; but the owners say it is not for sale.

However, the owners, Property Solutions (Ledbury) Limited, are not ruling contact between the consortium and themselves.

News of the possible backing of local business people has been welcomed by Paul Mann, chairman of the recently-formed Ledbury Town FC 2015, who said, "That would be absolutely perfect."

Ledbury Town Football Club had a lease on the ground until 2026; but the club folded in January this year, because of debts, including unpaid rent.

Mr Mann said Ledbury Town 2015, which emerged after Ledbury Town Football Club folded, "was in a very difficult situation".

The club was looking to negotiate another year on the ground, while also investigating the possibility of "finding a new home."

"It has been a most difficult six months," said Mr Mann.

But Property Solutions (Ledbury) has helped the club by allowing it to play on the ground until the end of the season.

The long-term future of the ground remains uncertain.

However, Mr Roy Green, of Property Solutions (Ledbury) said: "The idea of putting houses on there has not even been discussed, because the site had been tied up with a lease until 2026.

"The club went bust. They had the ground until 2026. It wasn't our fault."

One hundred new houses are to be built on the adjacent cricket pitch, and the cricket club will move to a new ground off the Ross Road by 2016; but this is nothing to do with Property Solutions (Ledbury).

Mr Green, when pressed again about the possibility of housing on the football club ground site, said: "We have no intention of doing anything like that at the present moment."

He added that Property Solutions (Ledbury) had "not even put a valuation on the ground".

Concerning a possible approach from a consortium, Mr Green said: "We have no intention of selling. There is no way that anyone could pick the site up for agricultural prices. That isn't going to happen.

"We will speak to them, certainly; but no way is it for sale.

"It is up to them to ring and go from there."

A sticking point in any negotiations could be differences of opinion over the price of the land, because land that may be built on will have a much higher value than land which is agricultural or green space, where permission may not be granted for development.

The outgoing Unitary Development Plan, soon to be replaced by Core Strategy as Herefordshire Council's blueprint for planning development in the county, has the football ground down as "public open space".

Ledbury's mayor, Bob Barnes, has stated that this still offers the ground protection from developers.

A spokesman for the consortium, a local businessman who does not wish to be named, said: "I think it is terribly sad that the football club is going through such a difficult time, and there is a strong feeling in the town that the club should remain there . I will do what I can to help.

"Local business people could assist in the purchase."

Concerning the possible value of the ground, the spokesman said: "If you can't get planning permission for it, it is a pony paddock, isn't it?"