Supporters of OXFORD United have praised the news that the club’s proposed stadium’s terms have been finalised.
Over seven months after the council cabinet approved in principle the lease of land to develop a new stadium, Oxfordshire County Council announced this morning that an agreement has been reached between the local authority and United.
The U’s licence at Kassam Stadium expires in2026, so the team is looking to build a new home at The Triangle, south of Kidlington Roundabout.
United applied for full planning permission to build a 16,000-seat stadium to Cherwell District Council in February.
“We’ve been working on all this stuff for years now, and each step is one going forward,” OxVox chair Paul Peros said to this newspaper in response to the announcement that heads of terms had been agreed upon. This feels like a big step, even though there are many smaller ones.
These kinds of specifics must be completed correctly. Although we wish this had been finished sooner, we understand the circumstances and are just happy that it’s now done.
Given the amount of politics involved, this was always going to be a very challenging step. Because it’s a community project, the heads of terms needed to be completed correctly.
“It’s great that it’s finished now because we were here the entire time, talking to council members and other important stakeholders, and we knew the heads of terms weren’t far off.
“It is now more appropriate to look forward than back. Everyone wants this to be the club’s impenetrable leasehold.
“This phase now better equips us for the upcoming planning stage.”
Janine Bailey, the secretary of the Oxford United Supporters’ Panel, welcomed the update on heads of terms as well, but she expressed a slight degree of concern in light of the club’s statement from yesterday afternoon.
“We are thrilled that Oxfordshire County Council has also committed to signing the remaining significant legal and partnership agreements this week,” the U’s stated.
Bailey stated, “We’re making solid progress and this is a positive, without a doubt, but there’s a part of me that’s always apprehensive with these things,” referring to the line that states more paperwork needs to be signed.
“I’ll be a little happier knowing that they’re signed off once the club says more documents need to be signed. These are legally binding agreements.
It’s taken some time, but you can’t make comments while the talks are still in progress and nothing is happening. Meaningful communication is required.
The next meeting is the planning session, and changes will probably be made then.
“This summer is going to be incredibly busy. With everything at the club changing, the off-season won’t be boring at all.
