By Ian Grant
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will not make a decision on the outstanding compulsory purchase orders on the Ashburton Grove site until April, ANR has learned.
If the CPOs don’t go through, experts believe the stadium will go ahead, but some regeneration features and some planned housing may be dropped.
The chief architect for the stadium confirmed to me at the world property congress, MIPIM in Cannes this week that the outstanding Compulsory Purchase Orders would not affect building work for the stadium which is in progress.
There are around 8-10 Compulsory Purchase Orders on the buildings around the Ashburton site. Islington Stadium Communities Alliance however say even if the CPOs are approved, they along with some businesses will take their objections to the High Court.
A director from one of the consulting firms involved in the Ashburton stadium, admitted to me at MIPIM that only a company new to property would have gone ahead with such an audacious project as the Ashburton Grove stadium. Others would have been scared off by the potential problems in one of the biggest regeneration projects in London. He said, for example, that no less than 300 legal documents had to be signed.
Ken Livingstone, who has backed the scheme was also there promoting the benefits of regenerating parts of London, and CABE, who have also approved the designs were there promoting good urban design in London to a worldwide audience.
Livingstone said there was a far better climate for regeneration in London, with great opportunities ahead, now that gaining planning permission was easier. Deputy Prime minister, John Prescott was also there driving the London regeneration bandwagon, of which Arsenal are now an undoubted part.