OXFORD United’s stadium proposals were analysed in detail by councillors ahead of a crucial meeting next week.
The U’s are looking to build a new ground at The Triangle, south of Kidlington Roundabout, with the club’s licence agreement at the Kassam Stadium running out in 2026.
It was revealed yesterday that Oxfordshire County Council officers have recommended selling land to the club, for the purpose of a new stadium.
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Prior to the council’s cabinet making a decision next Tuesday on whether or not to approve the sale of the land to United, the local authority’s place overview and scrutiny committee mulled over the plans and officer recommendations.
One of the hot topics was what may happen if the U’s suffered financial problems in the future, and how that may have an impact.
Paul Grant, head of legal at the county council, told the meeting: “If the club went into administration in the future, the likely cause of action is an administrator would take over and would administrate the affairs of the club.
“It’s not out of the question that the club would cease to exist, but I would question how many football clubs have actually ceased trading in the last 50 to 100 years.
“What tends to happen is the assets go to a phoenix club. I think it’s worth bearing that in mind as part of the equation.”
The council’s chief executive, Martin Reeves, added: “The process you’re quite rightly deeply scrutinising is related to a very specific unique set of circumstances.
“A lot of the process we’ve talked about are based on information officers are aware of at this stage.”
Earlier in the meeting, a presentation by council officers demonstrated why a freehold transfer would be preferable compared to a leasehold.
The presentation stated: “Officers believe that a freehold transfer is the best option based on offering best value, limiting financial risk, and removing ongoing management responsibilities for the council.
“There are significant costs and complexities associated with a leased arrangement, together with potential liability.”
It was fascinating to get insight from former #oufc coach @DesBuckingham, who is set to take on the likes of Neymar, Ruben Neves and Aleksandar Mitrovic in the Asian Champions League this seasonhttps://t.co/33vhIYkK9G
— Liam Rice (@OxMailLiamRice) September 13, 2023
Committee member councillor Andrew Coles said at the meeting: “Having followed this all the way through, I’m satisfied we’ve done very thorough pieces of work to engage.
“The priorities the council posed were quite challenging and it’s very clear to me they’ve been met.”
Yesterday’s report revealed that officers have advised the local authority’s cabinet to approve using council-owned land for a new stadium.
The officer recommendation comes with a condition that United must produce a net zero plan which comes with ‘clear timescales and outcomes from design, construction and full operation of the stadium’.
The advice to approve also includes the agreement that the use of the land is for football/ community sports and leisure/ sports stadia ‘in perpetuity’, with limited ancillary commercial use.
Should the cabinet approve the sale of the land next week, the club still requires planning approval from Cherwell District Council as the local planning authority.
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