FOOTBALL fans eagerly awaiting the homecoming of their beloved club have been gifted ‘the perfect Christmas present’ as a planning application is lodged to build a new stadium.

Upbeat Slough Town chairman Steve Easterbrook told The Observer the promise made to the club to find it a home back in Slough has taken a ‘step in the right direction’.

An application to build a new stadium at the old Arbour Vale site has finally been lodged by the council. The club has been playing outside of Slough in Beaconsfield since 2003.

It will transform the run-down Stoke Road site alongside new free school Lynch Hill Enterprise Academy, which the Department for Education has also submitted a planning application for.

Mr Easterbrook said: “It’s been a long, drawn out process, but it’s a step in the right direction. We’ve been a homeless club for more than 10 years and we’ve had a number of false dawns. But this is the furthest we’ve ever got. It’s got to be viewed as good news.” He added: “Absolutely, it’s the perfect Christmas present for Slough fans.” The stadium will include an artificial 3G pitch and covered seating for at least 250 fans. Mr Easterbrook said the facilities will meet the grading requirements of the Southern Premier League, with flexibility to expand.

The development also includes a four-court sports hall, multi-use games areas for community use and playing fields for the school and nearby St Joseph’s Catholic High School.

But the development still hinges on a final sign-off from the Government, including from Eric Pickles’ office as some of the land falls into Green Belt.

Ruth Bagley, chief executive of Slough Borough Council, said: “We’ve been in detailed discussion with the Department for Education (DfE) and St Joseph’s School about the uses across the Arbour Vale site and remain very hopeful of achieving consent from the DfE for sports use on part of the site.

“Meanwhile, to progress matters, both we and the DfE have submitted complementary planning applications, which together redevelop the whole site.” Slough Borough Council originally planned to build the new stadium alongside 80 homes.

However, the long-awaited development was stalled last year after the Department for Education stepped in to demand the site be used for a new school. It also threatened using legal powers to seize the site, resulting in the council threatening its own legal action.

However, after months of tense negotiations Slough council reworked its original plan scrapping planned new homes – and forfeiting a multi-million pound windfall – to make space for a school.

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