Plans for Southend United’s new stadium have not reached a council agenda despite being submitted more than a year ago.

Club chairman Ron Martin has reassured fans there are no major problems despite further delays.

The plans were submitted at the end of April last year and registered by planning officers in June that year.

They were expected to be scrutinised by Southend Council’s development control committee in January, but were then delayed until the summer.

And the plans for the multi-million pound stadium on Fossetts Farm, Eastern Avenue are still not ready to be considered by Southend Council’s development control committee.

Mr Martin said the scale of the 21,000-seater stadium application, which includes flats, shops and restaurants, as well as a hotel, is so large, discussions over the details have taken a long time.

He said: “There is no hold up.

“The council continue to do their due diligence, which the club understands.

“This is, after all, a very considerable planning application covering a number of disciplines.

“The council has recently requested the club undertake additional pedestrian and traffic surveys.

“That further work will be completed in June but are not expected to materially affect the application.”

Mr Martin added: “We continue to collaborate with the council planners and remain patient.

“We are, of course, also being very keen to progress the clubs plans to the development phase.

“It is important for us to maintain our adopted programme.

“The club’s future both on and off the field depends upon it.”

A spokesman for Southend Council claimed it had not made any predictions about when the plans would be heard and confirmed certain areas are still being looked at before the plans go before councillors.

The spokesman added: “We are still in liaison with the applicant and it will go to development control when the application is ready to be determined.

“Unfortunately we do not have an estimate of when that will be.”