'Disappointed' Hatters request meeting with Luton Borough Council over decision to refuse Town a lease for academy dome

Luton Town are looking to arrange a meeting with Luton Borough Council to find out just why they have gone back on their decision to agree a lease for the club to build an academy dome on Cutenhoe Road.

Last year, the council passed the Hatters’ application for the facility to be built at the derelict site which is essential to the club moving from Category 3 to Category 2 status, allowing them to join the Premier League’s U23 development games programme.

They then performed a U-turn on that decision at a recent meeting of the Executive, despite the proposal containing clauses allowing the council to take the land back at any time should they want to build a school themselves, plus also allowing free use of the sports fields by local schools.

Following that ruling, the Luton Liberal Democrats exercised a rarely used standing order to force a reconsideration of the decision, stating it was, in their view, ‘illogical and makes no sense educationally or financially.’

However, in a letter to a member of campaign group Save our Town, detailing why the outcome was reached, leader of the council, Hazel Simmons said: “Although the rent income would be most welcome from the proposed lease, the current general economic climate is uncertain and is not conducive to making long term letting decisions.

“We believe it would not be right, as things stand, to commit to a lease that gave the club something in the way of a long term security of tenure.”

Despite this, 2020 Developments, the property arm of the Hatters, are still looking to find out just what has changed since their initial decision, with chief operating officer Michael Moran saying: “We are very disappointed with LBC’s decision to refuse to grant a lease for the site.

“We are looking to meet with LBC as soon as possible to better understand the reasoning and also what has changed since the Council gave us an in principle ‘yes’ to a lease last year.

“We can give them all the flexibility they want.

“This is not just about the damage this does to the club’s academy and its very foundations.

“We have the support of all local schools here to do something great and make available to them a first class facility for their children Monday to Friday.”