Luton Town: Football club's 'training dome' plan denied by council

Luton Town FC is currently based at Kenilworth Road

A football club's plans to expand its training facilities have been turned down by a council.

Luton Town wanted to build a dome and artificial pitch on land off Cutenhoe Road in the town but Luton Borough Council (LBC) refused the club a lease.

The decision was made in an overview and private scrutiny board meeting.

Labour council leader Hazel Simmons denied Liberal Democrat accusations the decision was made under "a cloak of secrecy", citing previous decisions.

She said there was a "past resolution not to release the land" which is used by two schools.

Luton Town said it was "shocked and disappointed" by the decision.

The move was criticised by the Liberal Democrat opposition group, which said it was "mystified" by the Labour ruling group's verdict.

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Labour councillors voted narrowly to hold the debate in private, and the issue will no longer be referred to a full council meeting, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service

"What are they hiding from Luton residents?" asked Liberal Democrat group leader David Franks.

"If the meeting had been in public, we would have proposed that lease negotiations should proceed."

He said Labour appeared "determined to keep the issue under a cloak of secrecy".

An artist's impression of Luton Town's new stadium, which will be funded by a shopping and leisure complex

The club was previously granted outline planning permission by the local authority for the artificial training pitch, which is essential to the club moving from category three to category two status.

The new status would allow the club to play in the Premier League's Under-23 development games programme.

However, the council's executive rejected the offer of a lease to the club, despite the proposal allowing LBC to take the land back at any time and allowing free use of the sports fields by local schools including Linden Academy and Chiltern Academy.

Hatters chairman David Wilkinson said in his weekend programme notes the club was hoping to find a way to work with the local authority.

Last year, Championship club Luton were given permission to build a retail and leisure park next to the M1, which it says will provide it with the financial muscle to then build a new 23,000-capacity stadium at Power Court in the town centre.