Newlands Park: Plans for land sold to fund Luton Town stadium approved

The new 23,000-seat stadium will be built on the site of a former power station in the centre of Luton

Plans to develop land near the M1 which was sold to help pay for a new football stadium have been approved.

A decision on the site at Newlands Park, near junction 10 of the motorway, had been deferred earlier this month.

The section of Luton Borough Council's development management committee concerning the plans lasted almost an hour and a half.

Committee chair, councillor David Taylor, thanked those at the meeting for their "patience and perseverance".

Newlands Park was subject to two planning applications, one for the north site and one for the south site, both of which were recommended for approval.

Councillors voted seven in favour and one against for both applications.

Luton Town, currently in the Championship, play at the 10,000-capacity Kenilworth Road

The Newlands Park site was purchased by the club in 2015 as an "investment strategy to deliver a new stadium", Luton Town's development company, 2020 Developments, said.

Last month, 2020 Developments agreed a deal to sell the 37-acre site, which it said would "go a considerable way towards securing funding" for its proposed 23,000-seater home at Power Court in the town.

An investment fund advised by Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing (MSREI) and developer Wrenbridge will now take over the land.

In December, 2020 Developments said it had a "responsibility to help Wrenbridge see the current applications through".

The plans, which were revised in the light of market conditions following the pandemic, include office, retail and business space plus car and cycle parking and a park and ride facility.

The approval of the two applications is subject to legal conditions and consideration by Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.