Oxford United: Club 'back to square one' if stadium plans denied

The proposed new ground would have a capacity of 16,000

Oxford United's chairman has said it is "imperative" that planning permission is granted for a new stadium if the club is to move forward.

An application for a 16,000-capacity venue at The Triangle, near Kidlington, was submitted to Cherwell District Council last month.

Chairman Grant Ferguson said if it was turned down the club was back to "square one".

The club wants its new ground to be the first all-electric stadium in the UK.

The project, projected to cost more than £100m, includes a 180-bed hotel, conference and event space, and a health and wellbeing centre.

The five-hectare (12-acre) site is located south of Kidlington roundabout, west of Banbury Road, east of Frieze Way and opposite Oxford Parkway Station.

The proposals were rejected in a 2023 Kidlington Parish Council poll, but this is not legally binding.

The club says it has to leave its current home at the Kassam Stadium when the lease expires in 2026.

Oxfordshire County Council owns the land earmarked for the new stadium

Mr Ferguson, talking to The Dub, the BBC's Oxford United podcast, said the application was a "big step forward," and a "major milestone" despite there being a "long way to go".

He added: "What they tell me happens now is a one-two week verification process.

"Then the application will start being considered along with the public consultation process, and we hope by the middle of July to have a determination on the application."

Last year Oxfordshire County Council agreed a deal in principle to lease the land to the club.

The chairman said he was hopeful Oxford United would have enough time to make the transition without the need to play in a temporary home.

"We've always known there is a possibility of that, we've not been ignoring that fact," he said.

"There are options, some are better than others.

"At the moment we really need to stay focussed on Plan A, and we have very capable project managers that tell us we still have a timeline where we can make it work."

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