By Myles Palmer
The Times website has an interesting piece by Gary Jacob, the man who discovered Wayne Rooney.
Well, he discovered Rooney for me.
When Gary saw the Croxteth bomber blast in two goals against the Spurs youth team he filed his story and went home and phoned me and said,”We’ve gotta buy this kid.He’s better than Michael Owen !”
Today’s story is about delays at Ashburton Grove.
Gary writes, “A group of residents and businesses have challenged Islington Council’s decision to grant a compulsory purchase order (CPO) on their properties.
Arsenal had hoped to be in their new home at Ashburton Grove — where demolition work has already begun — for the start of the 2004-05 season, but that had already been put back a year even before the public inquiry into the CPOs being heard at Islington Town Hall, ended yesterday.”
He reports that the residents,the Islington Stadium Communities Alliance, claim that the CPO of 134 properties is unlawful because there is “no compelling public interest” for the development.
The report says that some of the businesses have complained about the club’s “bullying tactics”.
Intriguingly,the residents also claim that AFC is offering INDUSTRIAL land prices for their businesses, yet will then be selling on the land for HOUSING at a higher residential price, making a profit on the CPOs.
The stadium cost will be partly funded by the conversion of Highbury into 550 homes.Another 1,500 homes will be built on land around the stadium on a 27-acre site.
Rupert Grantham, the planning inspector,will make his recommendations by early July.
So the stadium saga is still ongoing.
By last night,Thursday, 23 of the 36 businesses fighting the CPOs had reached agreement with Arsenal since the hearing at Islington Town Hall began on January 14.
Gary reports that the inspector’s recommendations, “will then be considered by the Government Office for London who, if they believe that the decision needs ministerial advice, will pass the report on to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for consideration.”
21st February 2003.