Hamlet’s future is thrown into doubt as firm pulls plug on stadium plans
BY TOBY PORTER
toby@slpmedia.co.uk
The future of Dulwich Hamlet Football Club remains unclear after a developer planning to revamp its stadium pulled out.
Meadow Residential last week wrote to Southwark council to say it was withdrawing its scheme to move the club’s ground onto a next door astroturf pitch and build 155 flats on the emptied site.
Town hall chiefs had opposed a main feature of the scheme, which was to build some of the new 4,000-seater stadium on the adjacent, neglected Green Dale Playing Fields, which the club leased from Southwark.
The council’s ruling Labour group said it could not support the scheme as Meadow – which owns the land but not the football club – had not proven the “very special circumstances” that justify building on Metropolitan Open Land, the strongest protection any urban land can have.
It also has a target of 35 per cent affordable housing in any new development, while Meadow’s plan provides for just 16 per cent: 10 shared ownership flats and 15 affordable flats out of 155 in total.
Southwark’s planning committee had not debated the scheme, so Meadow tried to speed up the process by lodging a planning appeal.
Meadow has been financially supporting the football club, and claims it is losing more than £100,000 a year, even though gates for recent games have been touching 2,000 – more than some clubs in the Football League.
Meadow’s withdrawal followed days after the football club lost a case where Southwark applied for ‘Security for Costs’, because town hall officials had reason to believe that Hamlet would be unable to pay any costs made against them, as it appealed through the courts to have its lease on Green Dale renewed. The council was effectively demanding a deposit in case the club lost the case when it goes to court in December.
The council has spent an estimated £450,000 on the legal process so far and has applied to secure its legal costs against the club.
The result, at Central London County Court on October 16, meant the club was ordered to pay ‘security for costs’ of £150,000 within 14 days – but Meadow claims the club does not have the money.
Cllr Peter John, leader of Southwark council, said: “Southwark council has sometimes been accused of being a soft touch, but our view on this matter demonstrates that we always have residents’ and, in this case, fans’ interests at heart. Southwark council objected to Meadow’s planning application on a number of grounds, including its limited proposal for affordable housing provision.
“I want to reaffirm that from the start of this process and going forward, Southwark council has never wanted to jeopardise the future of the club and we remain committed to this end.”
The Friends of Green Dale – a group of campaigning residents – said they were delighted the plan had been shelved. Spokesman Guy Haslam said: “We’ve been arguing the case for over 18 months that the development on Metropolitan Open Land was simply unacceptable – and Southwark council agreed with us.
“Now that the developers have withdrawn their planning appeal, we’re looking forward to working closely with the council to ensure Green Dale has a bright future as a unique green space for the benefit of wildlife and local people.
“We’re also keenly aware that DHFC’s future is uncertain, but we’ve argued all along that there were other paths to a successful, sustainable future that didn’t involve this unnecessary development. We’ll be more than happy to liaise with our neighbours at the club and help out in any way we can. A positive future for both Green Dale and the football club is of vital importance to the local community.”
DHFC chairman Liam Hickey said: “We do not honestly know what will happen next. We are waiting for Meadow to tell us. When 94 per cent of fans voted in favour of a new stadium and building houses on the site where the pitch is now, they did not vote for any particular developer to build it.”
A spokesman for Meadow said: “The council had said in December 2015 it was ‘broadly supportive’ of the scheme, after many months of detailed discussions and negotiation. We have always said we were flexible on the content of the development, so affordable housing was not the issue and we were working with Southwark’s own viability consultant on this issue in any event. The council seems to have gone to extraordinary and unusual lengths not to determine the application.
“Following withdrawal of the planning appeal we will now take time to consider our position. We have to listen to feedback from our professional team. It will take time”.
“Whilst Meadow does not own the club it was keen to assist DHFC, by encouraging the council to seek a compromise.
“We sought to negotiate a compromise with the council and in September 2017 offered to withdraw the planning appeal if the council would withdraw the court case against the club. The council rejected this offer.
“The decision of the court on October 16 meant that the club would need to pay £150,000 simply to fight the lease renewal in court. The council knew that the club does not have these monies and that this effectively ended their lease and, any proposal to site the new stadium on the Green Dale land. Following the court decision there has been significant public discussion about the implications of the case for the DHFC and our planning appeal.
“Many of the comments have been inaccurate and misleading and some we consider to be prejudicial to the appeal. As the council have withdrawn the club’s lease on the astroturf, and given the comments made in public by Southwark Council, we have had no option but to withdraw our appeal with the planning inspectorate.”
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