Southend United: Long-awaited football stadium plan to be discussed

Southend United are in the National League after relegation League Two in May

A plan for Southend United's new 22,000-seater stadium, first submitted four years ago, will be heard by the council at the end of the month.

The Shrimpers dropped out of the Football League for the first time in 101 years in May.

The National League side's first win of the season Tuesday was overshadowed by protests against chairman Ron Martin.

Carole Mulroney, from Southend Borough Council, said she was expecting a large turnout at the meeting.

The authority's development control committee will review the application, which includes 1,450 homes on 25 October.

Plans include the council partnering with developers to build 800 of the homes at the new stadium, at Fossetts Farm, which will be let for affordable rents, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The club's current home at Roots Hall will be redeveloped into 502 new homes for rent once the football club has relocated.

The original planning application for the stadium at Fossetts Farm was submitted in May 2017

Liberal Democrat Ms Mulroney, the councillor responsible for planning, said: "The council chamber is the biggest space we have got.

"The public gallery runs around the top but if we get inundated with people there will be difficulties.

"In normal circumstances, planning applications bore everyone to death but this is such a big one for the town."

The council said no banners or demonstrations would be allowed within the civic centre.

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Ms Mulroney added: "People are disgruntled about how the club is doing at the moment but I would hope that doesn't cause problems.

"The process has to go through committee and we can't defer it because we have a crowd of angry people."

Supporters chanted and held up banners, temporarily halting Tuesday's game against Eastleigh, before invading the pitch after full-time.

The club's chairman was confronted by fans during Southend's defeat at Solihull Moors last week, before being led away by security after leaving the directors box to speak to the club's travelling supporters.