Can council break stalemate over Southend United stadium plan?

The council is considering using compulsory purchase powers on the Prospects College site in Fairfax Drive after coming under pressure from the Southend United and Sainsbury’s to get the plans moving.

The college site is needed forfor access to the proposed new supermarket and homes on the football’s club’s current ground.

The deal is crucial to the club’s planned move to a 22,000-seater stadium at Fossetts Farm, off Eastern Avenue.

Blues chairman Ron Martin says he wants work to start on the new stadium by Octobe, but the deal to sell the college site to Sainsbury’s stalled for the sixth time last month. Prospects terminated the deal after Sainsbury’s missed the deadline to complete the sale. That has thrown up the possibility of a compulsory purchase order.

Council leader Nigel Holdcroft said: “It is something we would consider.”

The council has already put measures in place for complulsory purchase orders to be used on shops and flats in Victoria Avenue which are also needed for the development, but it still hopes Sainsbury’s will reach a settlement with the owners.

Sainsbury’s and the Blues issued a joint statement attacking Prospects’ position. It said: “Prospects College unilaterally terminated the purchase agreement with Sainsbury's after a request for more time in order to finalise outstanding matters.

“We are disappointed by the actions of Prospects as there was an opportunity to agree a value in excess of what could realistically be expected under a compulsory purchase order process.

“Sainsbury’s, Southend United Football Club and Southend Council remains committed to deliver this important project for the wider community.”

Neil Bates, chief executive of the college, which has moved to Futures College, revealed the trust which runs Prospects, was in the early stages of negotiating with another buyer.

But he denied scuppering the Sainsbury’s deal. He said: “It’s absolutely not the case that we won’t sell to them. This is the sixth time we have reached an agreement and that agreement was terminated because it went past June 23, when the contract was due to be signed.”

He dismissed compulsory purchase. He said:: “Such powers are only involved when it has not been possible to come to a treaty, but it was entirely possible to come to a treaty with us.

“It was Sainsbury’s which didn’t uphold the terms of the agreement.”

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THE £100million Fossetts Farm stadium will be built in three stages, new plans show.

The actual stadium itself along with a 114-bedroom hotel, conference space and a players’ hostel will be built in the first phase. The retail park with shops and restaurants will follow and finally the 67 flats will be built.

A planning application, just submitted to Southend Council, outlines the club’s proposals for the second stage of the development. These have changed significantly since the club received planning permission for Fossetts Farm from the Government in March 2008.

A supermarket, a casino and a football academy now form a central part of the second phase, which will be built as part of an elongated development stretching from the stadium towards Eastern Avenue.

The latest plan proposes ground floor shops, a superstore and three restaurants.

Compared to the approved plan, the shop space has increased overall by about 11 per cent, and the restaurant space is more than three times larger. To cope with the increased capacity of the retail park 672 car parking spaces are proposed instead of 499 previously planned.

The plans include a cafe, bar and health club as well as a training academy. A decision is expected by October 10.

A club spokesman said work on the retail park would begin once shops confirmed to rent the premises. He said: “The stadium will be built first, with the retail park to commence when the letting phase is complete. Our best estimate for that is about six to nine months after the stadium starts.”

Blues boss Ron Martin said recently that work on Fossetts Farm could start in October.