Wheels are in motion on a renewed bid by supporters to protect Elland Road’s future. Leeds United Supporters’ Trust has applied to Leeds City Council for Leeds United’s stadium to once again be considered an asset of community value.
The fan group had previously been successful in securing that status for the ground in October 2017. However, the protection which comes with being a community asset expired last October, five years after the original application was ratified.
Yesterday, the council told LeedsLive about the expired notice, but today confirmed a fresh application had gone in. LUST has been putting together its application for the past few months and finally submitted the bid last night.
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A spokesperson for Leeds City Council told LeedsLive: “The council can confirm Leeds United Supporters’ Trust submitted an application yesterday evening for Elland Road to be considered as an asset of community value. The application will now be assessed against the established criteria.”
The application follows hot on the heels of reports Andrea Radrizzani had explored the possibility of using the stadium as security against a £26m loan he wanted to buy Sampdoria. For the United chairman to consider such a thing posed questions about the ground’s future and its protection from falling into the wrong hands.
LUST said: “On the AoCV status, it’s not automatically flagged it expires from when we successfully submitted the application previously. So when we realised it had [expired] a few months back we immediately began the renewal process and started to gather the right documentation for the club.
“It's a time-consuming process, but we’re pleased to say the application has now been submitted and we await a council decision. We will look at what we can put in place for the future to alert new board members of its expiry so they don’t end up in the same situation.
“It’s important to note the AoCV is only activated when there is a bid to buy the asset. While mind-blowing what was being reported yesterday, a loan on the asset doesn’t trigger the AoCV status, unfortunately. We will keep you updated on its progress.”
If Elland Road, as expected, gains community asset status once again, that would not solely preclude it from being used as collateral. It would give fans a fair chance of making a bid to buy the stadium if it was put onto the open market for sale.
That means there would at least be some checks and balances in place before the ground is pursued by external parties. It effectively stops the stadium from being sold overnight from underneath the feet of fans.
The council aims to assess nominations within eight weeks of receipt.
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