Lewisham Cabinet yesterday (Wednesday) voted in favour of issuing a compulsive purchase order (CPO) for land surrounding The Den, the home ground of English League One football club Millwall.
The cabinet voted 6-1 in favour of granting Lewisham Council the right to buy The Den’s car park, which is owned by third-tier outfit Millwall, and other land surrounding the ground. The council intends to sell the ground to property developer Renewal.
The decision comes as a blow to Millwall and its supporters, who fear for the future of a stadium that has been its home since 1993.
Peter Garston, of the Defend Our Den campaign group, said: “We are terribly disappointed with the result. But we’re heartened by the support from our MPs, the Lewisham Labour Group and Councillor Joe Dromey, who voted against it.”
The Defend Our Den petition gathered more than 25,000 online signatures, while 22 Lewisham Labour Group councillors also urged cabinet members to withdraw the CPOs. But it was to no avail.
Under Renewal’s plans, 2,400 new homes will be built. Millwall has long expressed concerns over the project and has come up with its own development plans under which 400 homes would be built.
Millwall chairman John Berylson described the council’s decision as “akin to dropping two divisions” and said Renewal was not prepared to find a compromise.
In a message to fans, Berylson wrote: “Renewal has point blank refused to work with us. We’re not going to give in. This will be a long process before our land can be taken. And it can still be stopped.”
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