Luton Board appoint architects

Far be it from me to accuse the Board of opportunism, but the timing of the Chairman's announcement is incredible.

The notes which will appear in tomorrow's matchday programme state the following:

'I am sure that after the events of earlier this week we can now move forward and focus on the football side of the business.

'The progress and future stability of the Club is paramount, and that's why the Board are delighted to announce that the difficult process of appointing an architect to design our new stadium has now been completed.

'The appointment of the architect has been a long process to ensure we made the right decision. Our final decision has been made from a shortlist of three very experienced and renowned architects of modern football stadia, all with a proven track record of designing outstanding stadium projects.

'The most important aspect of the brief was to appoint an architect that would give us an identity, and to produce a stadium that football supporters all over the country would instantly recognise as the home of Luton Town Football Club.

'We wanted to take the spirit and the atmosphere of Kenilworth Road and recreate it in a brand new stadium where it can be enjoyed in more comfortable surroundings with 21st century facilities.

'We believe we have been successful in achieving our aim by selecting the world-renowned specialists, The Miller Partnership, whose CV is second to none.

'The Miller Partnership already has a substantial reputation throughout the UK and abroad for their expertise and flair in the design of sports stadia over the last 25 years.

'They have designed some of the finest new stadia in the country, including many of the more impressive grounds in the Championship.

'St Mary's Stadium in Southampton, The Stadium of Light in Sunderland, The Walkers Stadium in Leicester and The Ricoh Arena in Coventry are all grounds we are looking forward to visiting in the coming months.

'The Miller Partnership designed them all.

'All these grounds have their own unique characteristics, and you can see from the computer generated graphics that our new stadium will be every bit as special.

'I intend to my programme page as a regular source of updates on our proposals for the new stadium. The Board are pleased with the progress so far, but please understand that until the planning application is submitted we can't divulge all the aspects of our negotiations in the public domain until they are completed.

'This is not a cloak and dagger exercise, it's just normal commercial practice. It is essential that the developers have total control over the planning process while working in conjunction with the Club.

"Despite some press reports to the contrary, there have been pre-planning meetings with South Beds District Council regarding the land at Old Park Farm.

'Although we made an announcement regarding Old Park Farm back in December 2005, we didn't sign a land deal with the landowner until June 29th this year.

'We can understand that some supporters have been frustrated by the lack of information but we can assure you that the wheels have never stopped turning.

CAD images of the alleged proposed stadium can be viewed on:

www.lutontown.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/NewsDetail/0,,10372~929573,00.html

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