They may be rivals on the pitch, but Bolton Wanderers have backed Brentford FC off it over a public inquiry into plans for the Bees' new stadium.
Bolton chairman Phil Gartside said the club was right to refuse to work with First Industrial Limited (FIL), which is challenging the compulsory purchase of its land for housing to help fund the Bees' new arena.
In a letter submitted to a public inquiry, he claimed the club was still suffering delays to the completion of its academy project, which he blamed on FIL failing to meet its contractual obligations to other organisations.
"On the basis of our experience over the past decade or so, Bolton Wanderers FC would not enter into any further agreements with FIL and Mr Knowles (Tim Knowles, managing director of FIL)," he wrote.
Brentford FC's new 20,000 seater arena in Lionel Road South and 910 homes around it were granted planning permission nearly two years ago.
But the club was unable to secure the land owned by FIL, currently occupied by the empty Capital Court office block, which it says is needed for housing to fund the stadium's construction.
Viable
Hounslow Council issued a compulsory purchase order (CPO), forcing the owner to sell up, but it refused and a two-week public inquiry considering FIL's appeal started last Tuesday (September 8).
In its opening statement to the inquiry this week, FIL claimed the order was unjustified as housing to fund the stadium did not necessarily need to be built beside the ground.
It said it had agreed to transfer the portion of its land needed for parking and access to the stadium via a new bridge over the railway line, provided the CPO for the remainder of the land was withdrawn.
The company also told the inquiry the stadium was financially viable even without housing being built on its land.
"The continuing need for the stadium (and profits to be realised) will provide every motivation for the parties to enter into an effective renegotiation and the stadium development is likely to come forward whether or not Capital Court is required," it said in a statement.
Quality of life
FIL, which says it is willing to work with the club as a development partner, also submitted evidence from a planning consultant who said he believed the CPO was unjustified as the planned housing could be delivered elsewhere in the borough.
Chris Gammon, executive director of Lionel Road Development Limited, Brentford FC's stadium development arm, has told the inquiry the club reached an agreement in 2013 to buy the land from FIL but pulled out when the firm demanded to sell via a third party. He said subsequent talks had broken down.
The inquiry has also heard evidence from the Green Dragon Lane Housing Cooperative, which claims to represent the residents of 75 homes close to the proposed stadium.
In a written submission, the group said the planning housing breached planning standards and would cause "considerable" damage to residents' quality of life.
The public inquiry, which is being held at Brentford Free Church, is due to conclude on Friday (September 18).
