London Irish have formally submitted an application to Hounslow Council to determine whether rugby can be played at Brentford's proposed Lionel Road ground.
The Bees completed the compulsory purchase order last month and hope to start building at the start of 2017, with a view to moving in for the 2019/20 season.
Championship rugby side London Irish, who currently play at Reading's Madejski Stadium, are keen on returning to their roots in the capital and have taken a major step into determining whether sharing Lionel Road is possible.
A statement from Irish read: “Further to our briefing note of 15th August 2016 regarding our initial discussions with the London Borough of Hounslow to explore the potential for rugby to be played at the new Brentford Community Stadium, London Irish has now submitted a formal Section 73 application to ascertain whether a rugby use of the stadium is possible.
“We will continue to keep supporters and stakeholders updated with any further developments.”
The planning permission, which was granted in 2013, did not include rugby at the time, although the club have repeatedly made it clear that they were open to such an idea.
And Brentford continues to be supportive to the idea of London Irish using Lionel Road.
A Brentford statement read: “London Irish has submitted an application to the London Borough of Hounslow to change the permitted use of the Brentford Community Stadium to include rugby.
"This follows the news in August this year that London Irish had started exploratory discussions with the Council.
"The Brentford Community Stadium vision has always been to have a new 20,000 seater stadium for both professional football and rugby, subject to the relevant planning permissions.
"Brentford Football Club welcomes the London Irish application which takes the Club a step closer to achieving this vision.
"Progress on the Brentford Community Stadium project continues and work is expected to start on the Lionel Road South site in the New Year. The stadium is due to be completed in time for the start of the 2019/20 season.
"Further information on the London Irish planning application will be made available on the London Borough of Hounslow website.
"A Lionel Road Liaison Group meeting has also been arranged on October 17 to discuss this planning application, with representatives from London Irish present to explain their plans and answer questions from local residents’ groups. Details of the meeting are on the Brentford Community Stadium website www.brentfordcommunitystadium.com."
Hounslow Council are open to the idea and leader of the council Steve Curran said in August when Irish announced their intentions: “The new stadium is an exciting development that will be a real boost to Brentford and to the borough as a whole.
“Having a major rugby club based there as well as Brentford Football Club would be a real bonus, and London Irish are a fantastic club that has a track record of building strong links with the community and local schools.
“The Council will work closely with all concerned to ensure a successful outcome.”
