Dulwich Hamlet's future unclear as they're told to raise £150,000 in 14 days

A court has given the south London club 14 days to find £150,000 to continue their fight to build a new stadium

Dulwich's future remains unclear after being caught in the middle of a row between Southwark Council and Meadow Residential (Duncan Jones)

Southwark Council have won their latest battle with the property developers trying to build Dulwich Hamlet a new 4,000-seater stadium, throwing Meadow Partners’ redevelopment plans into turmoil and leaving the club’s future increasingly unclear.

As part of the bitter and divisive row between Southwark and Meadow, as detailed in The Independent last week, Southwark have been trying to take back the lease for land they own from Dulwich Hamlet FC, who have leased it for years.

That land, known as Green Dale, is where Dulwich’s new ground would be under Meadow’s development plans, and those plans, which involve building 155 residential units, cannot proceed without the lease.

Southwark have spent an estimated £450,000 on this legal process and on Monday a hearing at the Central London County Court decided that Dulwich Hamlet must pay £150,000 within the next 14 days if they are to proceed with the process. Dulwich Hamlet do not have money and Meadow have repeatedly insisted that they are not liable for it either. This means that at the end of October the lease for Green Dale will revert to the council.

This will make Meadow’s £80million development plan almost impossible, although their planning appeal is still due to be heard by the planning inspector on 12 December. But with little prospect of success, Meadow now say that they are “reviewing their options” about what to do next.

Meadow own the Champion Hill ground, but not the club itself, but say that only through their development plan can the club survive. They say the council is forcing the club to bankruptcy by blocking their development plans. This view is disputed at Dulwich Hamlet, who point to their attendances as proof that the club could survive by itself.

On the pitch Dulwich are flying (Duncan Palmer)

“Meadow are disappointed at the Council’s actions,” a Meadow spokesperson said. “We are reviewing the planning options but hope that the Council will see sense and think again on the club’s lease.” While Meadow blame the Council for “undermining” Dulwich Hamlet, council leader Peter John insisted today that he has the club’s long-term interests at heart.

“Greed of property developer is unnecessarily threatening Dulwich Hamlet,” he tweeted. “Southwark is and always will be on the side of the club.”