One of the chief architects of the successful Power Court and Newlands Park regeneration schemes has praised Luton Town’s 2020 board’s vision to plan for the long-term benefit of the club and town of Luton.
Mike Moran, the chief operations officer of 2020 Developments – the property arm of Luton Town – played has previously been hailed by chief executive Gary Sweet for his work in getting the two planning applications over the line.
The final hurdle of which was jumped last Monday when long-time objectors Capital and Regional did not appeal a High Court dismissal of their application for a judicial review.
It brought to an end almost four years of delays and legal wrangles since the schemes were first unveiled and a UK planning record number of people wrote to Luton Council in support of the plans.
Moran, who played a starring role in the two public planning hearings in January and March last year, summed up the saga with a column in the Hatters’ match-day programme on Saturday, explaining that last Monday’s news brought, ‘a mixture of emotions; relief, anger at the wasted years and excitement for the future,’ adding that it was ‘as much about “vindication” as about “celebration”.’
Signing off his programme column, Moran wrote of the 2020 board: ‘I simply cannot imagine there is another club in the country with such a unified sense of purpose and commitment to doing things in the right way for the long-term benefit of this great club and town.’
The 2020 Developments director also explained the long process to get to last week’s historic news was, with his involvement beginning in 2013 to ‘draw up a long list of potential sites for a new stadium’.
He added of the delays that ‘it’s been a mixture of both circumstances and also well-funded opponents “playing the system,” with 2020 trying early on to engage with Capital and Regional with an offer to work together, but being ‘dismissed out of hand by just one obstinate objector.
‘We knew that after decades and decade of failure to dsilver a new stadium, it would take something ambitious to achive our goals. We felt strongly then as we do now, that the best place for the club is in the heart of the town that it serves. The best plans are not always the easiest plans.’
But after also praising the work of Luton Council, Moran added, ‘we stand firmly together, unscathed and energised and enthused, ready to Power On and deliver the visionary scheme we imagined from the outset.
‘So, what next in the process? Firstly, we can properly engage with the occupiers and investors we have been talking to over the years. Our designs and plans are over four years old. Retail, leisure and housing markets have all seen change in the interim.
‘We need to work these through as we produce our detailed plans. In any assessmet of the investment value that adage of “location, location, location” remains as tru now as ever.
‘On that score there are few, if any, better sites coming forward in the UK that 20 acres adjacent to ta station 20 minutes or so from Central London; and 40 acres right on Junction 1 of the M1 that speaks for itself.
‘Of course, there are risks and challenges ahead, as with any development project. But be assured we have a first-rate team around us who now just need a little bit of time to work to bring things together.
‘I’d also like to say a huge thank you, on behalf of the whole development tea, for the incredible unstinting support and belief from the club’s supporter and supporter groups that has been so apparent and important through these times drawn-out challenge, It has helped to cement the idea of it always being a case of “when” not “if” we’d get there.’
