AFC Wimbledon’s Plough Lane return could be confirmed by August after it emerged the Mayor of London has decided against holding a public inquiry into the plans.
The Dons are hoping to return to build a 20,000-seater stadium with an initial capacity of 11,000 on the site of the greyhound track in south west London.
Wimbledon’s plans for the site, which also incorporate 602 flats, parking, shops and a fitness centre, were unanimously approved by Merton Borough Council in December.
However former Mayor Boris Johnson blocked the move in one of his last acts in office before handing over control of the club’s fate to newly-elected Sadiq Khan .
Khan, in his previous role as Tooting MP, expressed concerns about the development of the site and wrote to chief executive Erik Samuelson.
It had led to concern amongst Dons fans that the deal was on the verge of collapse.
However, the sale of Kingsmeadow to Chelsea was another boost to the cause and fears evaporated with the news that Khan was prepared to leave judgement to the council and reject Johnson's decision to 'call in' the plans.
Watch: Erik Samuelson speaks to GetWestLondon about Plouth Lane
Chelsea want to use the ground for their youth and ladies' teams and the money raised from the deal is being used to fund the push for a Plough Lane return.
There will now be a two-week consultation process before Merton chiefs are given another opportunity to have their say on the proposal - unless any new information is brought forward to support former Mayor Johnson's original move.
AFC Wimbledon Chief Executive Erik Samuelson said: “We are delighted that the Mayor of London has announced the next steps in the process.
"The planning application we submitted to Merton Council was subject to two public consultations and a very thorough review by the council’s planning committee, along with planning officers at Wandsworth Council, and the GLA.
"All of those representatives supported the approval of the planning application. Therefore, we are confident that this further consultation will end with the planning application being returned to Merton Council.
“Once we have had a chance to fully assess the GLA’s statement, we will offer guidance to supporters about how they can help. Until this guidance is published, we ask fans to be patient in our quest to return the club to its spiritual home.”
AFC Wimbledon had been confident they will be able to move into the new stadium in their spiritual home borough in time for the start of the 2018-19 campaign.
This timescale now appears optimistic given these delays but fans will not be concerned by a slightly longer wait after waiting decades to return home.
Wimbledon FC were forced to groundshare with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park after the closure of their original Plough Lane ground in 1991 due to safety regulations.
Neal Ardley's AFC Wimbledon now head into their first League One campaign since the formation of the phoenix club on a real high with this positive news for the club.
