Decision details

1.   To note that Appendices 1, 2, 3 and 4 comprising a financial impact, draft lease, temporary licence and draft Deed of Covenant are not for publication on the basis they are not finalised yet and because the equivalent agreements were exempt from the previous report, comprising proposed contractual terms currently being finalised, as per Paragraph 9 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended).

2.   To approve the completion of the following documents with FFC and CC:

•     Compound Lease

•     Temporary Licence to access and egress

•     Deed of Mutual Covenant and Grant

2.   To note that a consent in principle was given by the Church Commissioners to the grant of the compound lease extension.

3.   That authority be delegated to the Director of Public Realm, Place Department in consultation with the Director of Legal Services and the Executive Director of Place to give effect to the decision in 1 above.

The reasons for the Council’s original support of a compound lease for FFC were described in the Decision Report for the Commercial Revenue Committee of 31 May 2019 as mainly to facilitate the delivery of the stadium development because of the considerable convenience and logistical benefits of locating the compound next to the development site. Those reasons still apply when considering FFC’s request for a lease extension.

The option for the Council of not agreeing a new lease is a qualified option because FFC would still need extra time to remove the compound and its structures and reinstate the site to parkland. Also, for FFC to establish an offsite compound elsewhere would still be subject to requiring a vehicular accessway across parkland, at either end of the stadium, for getting access from Stevenage Road highway into the stadium.

FFC did investigate the feasibility and advantages/ disadvantages of relocating the compound, either elsewhere (in south London) or, on a pontoon platform on the Thames near the stadium. FFC received consultant’s advice, shared with council officers, that the benefits of the retention of the existing compound would far outweigh those alternative possibilities.