Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has told AFC Wimbledon fans he hopes to rule on their Plough Lane bid soon.
The Dons are looking to build a 20,000-seater arena, with an initial capacity of up to 11,000, on a site which was home to stock car and greyhound racing.
Merton Borough Council approved the club’s plans in December but outgoing Boris Johnson called in the application in March, leaving Khan to pick up the pieces.
A new consultation process will now begin as the Mayor acts as the local planning authority to decide the fate of Plough Lane.
New Mayor Khan, in his previous role as Tooting MP, expressed concerns about the development of the site and wrote to chief executive Erik Samuelson.
He was questioned over the issue on LBC radio this week and reassured Wimbledon supporters he would be giving the application his full attention shortly.
He said: “Wimbledon, when they were playing at Plough Lane, used to be my second team. I’m a long-suffering Liverpool fan and when my second team beat Liverpool in the FA Cup it broke my heart.
“Let’s see where we are with the plans for the new stadium and Plough Lane.
“I will be deciding on the application shortly, and because I’ve got a quasi-judicial role, I’m not able to comment on an application before it comes to me because, as I’m sure you’ll appreciate, I can be challenged in the courts.
“Can I just reassure you that when it comes to any planning application that I look at all the merits and demerits of a case in detail and make sure I give them all of the merits they deserve.
“Hopefully we’ll have a decision on the development sooner rather than later.”
AFC Wimbledon, meanwhile, remain confident they will be able to move into a new stadium in Plough Lane in time for the start of the 2018-19 campaign.
Plough Lane was this week hit by flooding after extreme rainfall in the area - an issue the club addressed in 2015 after an Environment Agency report.
