admira Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 Millwall admit council scheme could force club to leave Lewisham Land around the Den may be purchased compulsorily and sold to developers Thursday 5 January 2017 19.26 GMT Last modified on Friday 6 January 2017 00.35 GMT Millwall Football Club have admitted for the first time that they may be forced to leave their south London home and relocate to Kent should the seizure of their land go ahead. Lewisham council’s plan to compulsorily purchase areas around the Den and sell them on to a mysterious offshore developer with connections to the current Labour administration has already drawn both disbelief and mass protest. With the CPO likely to be confirmed at a council meeting next Wednesday Millwall have conceded publicly for the first time the club could have to leave the area that has been their home since 1910. In a statement Steve Kavanagh, their chief executive, told the Guardian: “The chairman has always been determined that this would never happen, but under such circumstances any and every option would have to be considered to secure the football club and the Millwall Community Trust’s future as viable concerns.” Millwall compulsory purchase order hearing adjourned by Lewisham council Lewisham council’s final hearing of the compulsory purchase order of Millwall’s land around The Den was dramatically adjourned on Thursday night, to be reheard on 13 January Millwall have so far been cautious about conceding relocation might be the real threat. But with the community trust already set to be evicted and the club excluded from the benefits of the regeneration scheme, it also emerged last month that their academy may be unable to function under the current proposals. There is no suggestion yet of a specific alternative site. The north Kent coast has been mentioned more broadly in the past, an uprooting that would see the club plonked down up to a hundred miles from its historic home. Such a move would also be a stunning blow to Lewisham itself. A London borough with a population the size of Iceland would be left without a professional sports club of any kind. Should the order be confirmed the ripples will be felt by other league clubs in areas where rising land prices are likely to attract developers with an eye on regeneration. Supporters of nearby Charlton Athletic and Leyton Orient will be watching with interest, as will other mid-size Football League clubs across the country. Until now concerns over the Millwall land-grab have centred on the council’s historic relationship with the offshore developers Renewal. Renewal’s chief executive is a former Lewisham officer and colleague of the current Lewisham chief executive, Barry Quirk, an unelected official best known locally for being paid more pro rata than the prime minister for working a three day week. In another bizarre twist Renewal was also set up and originality part-owned by the previous Labour mayor of Lewisham, Dave Sullivan. Sullivan has stated he no longer has any part in the company, which is owned by two anonymous offshore trusts based in the Isle Of Man and the British Virgin Islands. The chair of Lewisham’s own overview & scrutiny committee, Alan Hall, has been a lone voice inside the council with the courage to speak out against the CPO process. “Millwall Football Club are part of the cultural history of London and Lewisham with over 100 years in the borough,” Hall said. “Over the past five years Renewal’s original outline planning application has fallen apart in slow motion in front of our very eyes. The ever-shrinking proposed ‘sporting village’ will drive away one of football’s most famous clubs and its highly successful community scheme.” The AMS Millwall supporters’ organisation has led the fight on behalf of the club’s fans. On Wednesday the AMS published its own open letter to Quirk, who has emerged as the driving force behind the scheme – the mayor, Sir Steve Bullock, having stepped back due the fact he is, astonishingly, director of a Renewal-associated company, the Surrey Canal Sporting Trust. Millwall given new hope in land battle as disquiet grows over property deal Lewisham council’s decision to grant compulsory purchase orders on land around Millwall’s ground, The Den, is coming under intense scrutiny from its own councillors The AMS letter points to the alarming democratic deficit in Lewisham’s elected mayor system. The current setup, introduced as a Blair government initiative, has left the borough with a largely unregulated cabinet and a chief executive, in the shape of Quirk, who has no mandate, is electorally unaccountable, but is currently heading up a scheme that will evict local residents from their homes. The letter also points out that the council’s attempts to provide reassurance on the probity of its plans in the form of an email from Mushtaq Malik, Renewal’s CEO, are likely to be met with derision. “Is it right,” the AMS asks, “that the council has been put in a position where its chief executive is reduced to publishing emails from a third party actively denying that inside deals, murkiness and personal relationships are in play?” The AMS also voiced its own fears that offshore developers could be allowed to succeed where the Luftwaffe’s bombs and successive economic depressions have previously been staved off: “Failure to listen to genuine concerns could, we fear, lead to Millwall Football Club’s loss of academy status as recognised by the EFL and ultimately the club being forced to relocate from the London borough of Lewisham.” The Liberal Democrat party has also called for the plans to be scrapped. “The only compelling case that’s been made is that this Renewal scheme will be a disaster for the local community.” Bobby Dean, Parliamentary spokesperson said. “Millwall FC is the largest sporting asset Lewisham has and their future cannot be jeopardised by this luxury scheme with no regard to affordable housing. Lewisham should withdraw the plans and start again – this time properly involving the football club and local community.” Source: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/jan/05/millwall-admit-council-scheme-leave-lewisham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Van der MoodHoover Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 Complex situation but I suppose this risk exists for all clubs that don't hold the freeholds to their facilities and the associated land. The various councillors sound like a right old bunch of conflicted shysters - of the sort regularly outed in Private Eye. Sadly our society seems to provide numerous opportunities for these sorts of people to extract money from the system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sith Happens Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 Good......they should take a leaf out of mk dons book and relocate some distance away, but in their case the Chinese league would be good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alph Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 1 hour ago, Paul71 said: Good......they should take a leaf out of mk dons book and relocate some distance away, but in their case the Chinese league would be good. Agree. But I was thinking North Korea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boycie Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 No one likes em, we don't care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenportram Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 Wonder if Nottingham city council have plans for some new riverside apartments. Fatwaz could get some of his money back after all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 I always find it funny that the area called Millwall is in the isle of dogs north of the river where the club originated and when the Docklands Light Railway was built in the 80s the residents objected to their station being called Millwall because people would associate it with that football club. And so they agreed to it being called by the current lovely name of - Mudchute. When I was at work there was quite a few Millwall supporters in the post room and repro. Rough as hell but genuinely OK I would often go to some local pubs and they would always take care of me and buy drinks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uttoxram75 Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 13 minutes ago, davenportram said: Wonder if Nottingham city council have plans for some new riverside apartments. Fatwaz could get some of his money back after all. How will that work? They don't own anything near the river do they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boycie Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 17 minutes ago, davenportram said: Wonder if Nottingham city council have plans for some new riverside apartments. Fatwaz could get some of his money back after all. Compensation payment for eviction? ? ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TigerTedd Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 15 minutes ago, Strange yearnings said: I always find it funny that the area called Millwall is in the isle of dogs north of the river where the club originated and when the Docklands Light Railway was built in the 80s the residents objected to their station being called Millwall because people would associate it with that football club. And so they agreed to it being called by the current lovely name of - Mudchute. When I was at work there was quite a few Millwall supporters in the post room and repro. Rough as hell but genuinely OK I would often go to some local pubs and they would always take care of me and buy drinks Love the fact they prefer the name Mudchute to Millwall. Like if someone told me I could be called Crapbag, or Forest. I'll take Crapbag all day long. At least it can be shortened to Crappy. How will Millwall in Lent work? I always picture Kent as being the very epitome of rough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenportram Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 35 minutes ago, uttoxram75 said: How will that work? They don't own anything near the river do they? Oh yeah, silly me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 39 minutes ago, TigerTedd said: Love the fact they prefer the name Mudchute to Millwall. Like if someone told me I could be called Crapbag, or Forest. I'll take Crapbag all day long. At least it can be shortened to Crappy. How will Millwall in Lent work? I always picture Kent as being the very epitome of rough. Kent rough? About as rough as Duffield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TigerTedd Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 2 hours ago, Strange yearnings said: Kent rough? About as rough as Duffield. I always though epitome meant opposite. That's how I've always used it and no one has ever corrected me. I just looked it up, it actually means the opposite of opposite. Lean something new everyday. Anyway, what I meant was, Kent is a bit posh. How will they handle being invaded by millwallians? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 Ha. Makes you wonder what else you've been using incorrectly. Could be embarrassing. Hmm the north Kent coast? That could be the Medway towns of Gillingham, Rochester, Chatham (not very posh) or Whitstable ( very posh now) and over to Margate (trying to be posh) and Broadstairs (exceedingly posh) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddie Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 57 minutes ago, TigerTedd said: I always though epitome meant opposite. That's how I've always used it and no one has ever corrected me. I just looked it up, it actually means the opposite of opposite. Lean something new everyday. Anyway, what I meant was, Kent is a bit posh. How will they handle being invaded by millwallians? Consider yourself corrected. One was born in Kent (a Man of Kent, not one of them Kentish Man t**ts) - and when one was interviewed on the Baird System a few years ago, an associate happened to witness said broadcast. "F**king hell, Ed, you don't 'alf talk posh sometimes" he said when he saw me later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Van der MoodHoover Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 However, if you pop down the Old Kent Road you can experience proper rough. Every night's family night. You can get your head kicked in by a whole family rather than just 1 complete herbert. .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StockholmRam Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 23 hours ago, uttoxram75 said: How will that work? They don't own anything near the river do they? And UK law prohibits giving payments to vagrants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gypsy Ram Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 Good riddance, more suited to Thamesmeed. @Alpha To be honest they wouldn't look out of place in Chernobyl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gypsy Ram Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 19 hours ago, HantsRam said: However, if you pop down the Old Kent Road you can experience proper rough. Every night's family night. You can get your head kicked in by a whole family rather than just 1 complete herbert. .. Ever been to the Venue on the Old Kent Road? I don't think I ever went without seeing at least 2-3 mass brawls. I think it is the only place where the kebbaby has iron bars to stop the vagrants from punching the kebbabish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PistoldPete2 Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 Not only are Millwall supporters forever linked in my memory for the play off semi final when their behaviour was so disgusting that it almost put me off football for life, but i also happen to know personally a Millwall fan who is the most odious slimy sleazeball i have ever met. So as far as I am concerned , Millwall to be banished to Kent is not nearly far enough for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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