Members of a bowls club have blasted the lack of communication after it was announced they would be forced to relocate.

As part of the Meadow Park regeneration plans, Borehamwood Bowls Club is being moved to Aberford Park.

But the move has left a sour taste for members who have criticised the way in which Hertsmere Borough Council have dealt with the move.

The council and Elstree & Borehamwood Town Council are match funding to provide a new space but the new club will be an artificial green with just four rinks.

Committee member Keith Reeve says the first he heard about the move was back in November on Facebook.

He has described the communication since from Hertsmere Borough Council as “extremely poor”.

He said: “There has been no consultation and we are very much in limbo. I think it’s a scandal the way the council has walked over us. The decision has been made for us.”

Borehamwood Times:

Hertsmere Borough Council say that letters have been sent since last October but secretary Chris Turner says he has received no correspondence and says the council has made “no contact”.

Mr Reeve has added that the bowls club will lose many of its members as they will not want to play on an artificial surface. They currently play on a flat green.

The new proposals in Aberford Park is for a public bowls green with some storage space for equipment but there will be no changing facilities.

The current 61-year-old bowls pavilion in Meadow Park will be turned into a café with public toilets and the green will be become a landscaped area with space for car parking.

Members, which total more than 100, were dealt a further blow when they were notified that the club’s tenancy agreement runs out on July 18 despite a host of matches lined up over the coming months. However the council and the club are in discussions to extend the tenancy until the end of the year.

Borehamwood Times:

Seamus Quilty, responsible for transport and the environment at Hertsmere Borough Council believes the council has been “perfectly reasonable”.

He said: “The council initially wrote to the Bowls Club in October and met members of the club in November to discuss the plans. The termination notice was sent in January.

“At the end of June, the club also received a letter from the council’s leader Cllr Morris Bright explaining the situation and the availability of an extension to the club’s licence until the end of the year.

“We therefore feel that the council has provided a perfectly reasonable amount of communication and consultation.

“We want to maintain good relations with the Bowls Club as we appreciate the contribution it makes to the health and wellbeing of the community.

“We welcome the club’s application for the licence extension.”