Flashback 20 Years - "Council promise to stop QPR move"

When people talk about a covenant on Loftus Rd, I keep saying there isn't one. All that happened was the then Labour council said they would designate the land as leisure/recreational use in their town plan. That would make it very difficult for a developer to build flats on it, but it's certainly not a covenant like Fulham had on Craven Cottage once upon a time. If the club wants to move then they will undoubtedly get planning permission to redevelop Loftus Rd, especially with every London council desperate for new housing to be built.

Bump: 13 Years ago...

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Hammersmith and Fulham Council are to support the campaign to prevent Queens Park Rangers moving out of Loftus Road.

Former director Andrew Ellis, a Knightsbridge property developer, is poised to buy the club, who are in administration, and his eventual plan is to move them to a new stadium near Heathrow Airport.

But a consortium of supporters have tabled a rival takeover bid and pledged to keep the club at the ground which has been home since 1931.

Now councillors have also vowed to do all they can to stop the Loftus Road ground from being sold. Ellis is in talks with owner Chris Wright and has until 6 August to finalise his offer.

But Mayor Andrew Slaughter said: "The overwhelming majority of QPR fans say that the club is associated with the ground. We aim to see QPR survive and thrive at Loftus Road."

Councillor Wesley Harcourt said: "The Council is committed to keeping Queens Park Rangers in the borough. If Andrew Ellis gets control of QPR, our planning policy is such that we can make it very difficult for the ground to be sold at a profit.

"This Council fought the redevelopment of Chelsea's ground and gave planning permission for Fulham to develop theirs. It's about time QPR had the same amount of air time."

Parading the back page of Tuesday's Evening Standard, which revealed that a consortium of Rangers fans had tabled a bid to rival Ellis's, Councillor Stephen Burke told last night's Council meeting: "If QPR leave for Heathrow, it would be disastrous for the club and the borough. It would be the death knell for the club and the fans do not want it."

Tory councillor Greg Hands added: "When clubs have moved, those that have been typically successful have been based in a city or town where there is only one club, like Sunderland and Middlesbrough.

"Moving to Heathrow is not obviously going to work when there are 12 other teams in London competing for children to aspire to them. I very much support attempts to keep QPR in the borough."

Meanwhile, QPR manager Ian Holloway has offered defender Matthew Rose and trialist Alex Bonnot three month contracts. The short-term deals have been put in place while QPR sort out their financial future.

But Rose is disappointed that he has been unable to secure a move to a club in the top two divisions.

Rose said: "I played for QPR in a friendly against Watford on Saturday and I was twice as good as most of their players, but I have only heard of some interest, nothing concrete." ...


www.thisislondon.co.uk/sport/article-1057714-council-promise-to-stop-qpr-move.do[/quote]

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