AFC Wimbledon welcome date of planning committee determination
The club has issued the following press release after an announcement that the Planning Committee meeting to hear its planning application for a new stadium in Plough Lane will be held on 10 December.
Guidance for fans who wish to attend the meeting, or watch a live streaming of the event in the Merton Civic Centre, will be published very soon.
AFC Wimbledon has welcomed news they hope will bring them one step closer to returning to their spiritual home in Merton, following confirmation that the club’s planning application for a new stadium in Plough Lane is to be determined by Merton’s Planning Applications committee on Thursday 10 December.
The application to Merton Council seeks permission for a stadium that would fulfil AFC Wimbledon’s aim to grow as a club and bring substantial benefits to the local community. The Club is seeking to build a 20,000-seater stadium with an initial capacity of up to 11,000.
In partnership with Galliard Homes and GRA Acquisitions Ltd, the planning application also seeks permission to build 602 residential units, along with retail and commercial space and a leisure club. The master plan seeks to revitalise this part of Merton as it will bring economic benefits, including more jobs to the area, and add community facilities for local residents to utilise.
The application was submitted to the London Borough of Merton in November 2014 and has been subject to two rounds of statutory consultation. This has resulted in around 7000 responses to the consultation, with over 75 per cent of respondents living in the London Boroughs of Merton and Wandsworth stating their support for the application.
As part of the consultation, the project team has carefully considered the extensive responses received and the issued raised by residents and consultees. As a result, following ongoing discussions and additional submissions of information, the project team believes that the initial concerns regarding flooding, highways, sustainability/energy and design including accessibility have now been addressed.
AFC Wimbledon Chief Executive Erik Samuelson said: “I believe we have addressed all the issues raised during the statutory consultation and have made a strong case for the scheme to be approved at Merton’s planning committee.
“Now it is up to the councillors to give our application the support it merits. If planning permission is granted, it means we are a substantial step closer to achieving our aim. ”
The next step after that would be finalising details of a so-called “Section 106” agreement, by which the applicants agree to carry out infrastructure works, such as road and pavement improvements and signage, in exchange for permission on the details of the plan.
Then the Dons will seek tenders to carry out the £20million of demolition and building work on the Plough Lane site, currently home to stock car and greyhound racing.
If planning consent is gained and everything else goes according to plan construction work on the new stadium could begin towards the end of 2016 with the Dons taking up residence for the 2018/19 season.