ANOTHER milestone in the project to give Brentford FC a new home has been reached with the announcement by the club today (Wednesday) it is ready to submit a planning application.
The recently beaten League One Play-Off finalists have spent the last few months preparing the detailed plans for a 20,000 seater stadium in Lionel Road South.
These have included several public exhibitions and discussions with various interested parties as the project leaders prepare to put their ideas before Hounslow Council’s planning committee.
Among the main concerns raised during these meetings have revolved around access, transportation, the lack of education and health facilities, permanent changes to the skyline of West London and the fact the site will include the development of hundreds of extra homes in blocks of flats.
There have also been concerns over the fate of the club’s current home at Griffin Park which is to be sold off for yet more housing.
Brian Burgess, Director of the team behind the project; Lionel Road Developments Limited, said: "We accept this is a challenging and complex application. For the past 8 months the project team has been working very hard and we have been engaging with a wide range of local residents and others. We believe we have done as much as we can to balance the concerns some of them have with our financial needs to raise the necessary funds to build a multi-purpose new stadium.
“Our application has three main objectives: first to secure the long term sustainability of Brentford Football Club ; second to provide a new home for the Brentford FC Community Sports Trust charity and its Learning Zone and thirdly to create impetus and assistance in the wider regeneration of this part of Brentford. We believe these proposals will bring a wide range of community benefits to the local area and the borough."
For everyone involved in the club and its supporters the confirmation the plan is ready to proceed will at least give a bright side to look on as they prepare for another season in the third tier of English football.
This followed Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Yeovil Town at Wembley Stadium.
The plans will be on show and members of the development team on hand to answer local residents’ questions, next Friday May 31 from 2.30pm – 6.30pm and Saturday June 1 from 10.30am-1.30pm
Both events will be held at Brentford Fountain Leisure Centre, Chiswick High Road, Brentford.
