Contrary to some comments by councillors in last week's Gazette, the issue of the Camrose covenant has gone beyond football and now affects the whole Basingstoke Community.

Lord Camrose would have been well aware of the scale of building that was planned in rural areas at that time due to his association with Fleet Street and Westminster. South Ham, the site of the Camrose ground being one of the earliest.

Most landowners got together to discuss imposing covenants before selling land for mass housing. Not all had end dates and were mostly to safeguard against unsuitable living practices, such as keeping livestock on the properties.

I understand that the local pub was a popular meeting place where ideas and decisions were made.

One such covenant was on the site of the Berg estate which restricted the developer to building single storey bungalows only.

This has preserved the appearance and popularity of the estate for the last 60 years.

All is not lost, I am reassured by the councillors who have shown commitment to the subject and have taken time to research it.

Failure to uphold the covenant until 2053 sets a precedent, it calls into question whether any other covenants need to be complied with, past or present.

That would be a decision to be made at a government level and not to be taken lightly.

Valerie Silver, Rooksdown, Basingstoke