FULHAM
FOOTBALL CLUB AND WHITE CITY
Press Release issued by LB Hammersmith & Fulham 6 January 2004
“The council has always strongly supported all three of our football clubs staying in the borough. The council's strong preference is that the club returns to Craven Cottage with appropriate redevelopment of the ground.
“If the club were unable to do this, we would be greatly disappointed. But we said we would work with the club to try to find an alternative solution, keeping the club in the borough.
“Until recently Fulham said they remained committed to redeveloping Craven Cottage as their permanent home and claimed that their well-publicised attempt to secure land for a new stadium at White City was only a fall-back position. But Fulham are apparently determined that they must move on as they have concluded that they cannot build a stadium at Craven Cottage which meets their aspirations.
“The club has attempted to acquire land in Wood Lane for a new stadium. We told them that if they were successful, we would work with them, and other interested parties, including neighbouring land owners, to help ensure that any stadium development there is properly planned and is beneficial to the regeneration of the Wood Lane area.
“We would like to correct any misunderstandings about the council's position which may have arisen from the inaccurate story appearing in the Daily Telegraph on January 1. Negotiations have been taking place between Fulham / Harrods and Helical Bar. Officers have, indeed, met with Helical Bar and encouraged them to bring these negotiations to a conclusion. This is so that the council can move forward with the regeneration of the White City area. We would like to get on with the publication of, and consultation on, the development framework for the whole area, currently held up by these negotiations.
Contrary to what has been reported in the Daily Telegraph, the council did not write to Helical Bar stating: "it was the council's opinion that the land should be sold to Fulham".