Southend United: Council says lack of information delaying new stadium plans

Southend United are sixth in the National League table

Revised plans for a smaller Southend United stadium have been held up as the club has not supplied enough information, the council said.

Last autumn, the club unveiled plans for a 16,226-seater stadium, reduced from the previous 21,000-seat plan.

The revised scheme also removed a hotel to allow more homes to be built on the Fossetts Farm site.

The club owes £1.4m to HMRC and a winding-up hearing calling for the club to be closed down is due on 1 March.

The applications for the smaller stadium and more homes are both still to be decided by Southend Council's development control committee, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Plans state the new stadium would be built a Fossetts Farm, near Waitrose, and 502 homes would be built at the current Roots Hall ground

A statement on the council's website said: "We don't yet have all the information required from the applicant to determine either application.

"The applicant is aware of what is required and discussions are ongoing."

The council said it wasn't unusual for planning time limits to be extended and that it had no influence over the stadium plans.

The club is also set to build 502 homes at its current site at Roots Hall. Citizen Housing LLP will facilitate the funding of both sites. The council will not be required to invest any capital in the development of either site.

The authority said: "The council has been, and remains, committed to the delivery of high-quality housing for local people across the city and we remain in discussions regarding the developments at Roots Hall and Fossetts Farm.

"We also remain supportive of the football club, which we know is so loved by so many."