Dulwich Hamlet under threat from property speculators | PASOTI
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Dulwich Hamlet under threat from property speculators

pafcprogs

🌟 Pasoti Laureate 🌟
Apr 3, 2008
1,128
2,585
Westerham Kent
All those nay sayers about JB should have look at what is happening at Dulwich Hamlet

A property company that has no scruples about how they try and force a local community club out of it's home purely for gain...

https://www.savedulwichhamlet.org.uk

There but for the grace of....etc etc
 
Apr 15, 2004
3,786
2,596
East Devon
Heard about this on James Richardson’s ‘Totally Football’ pod and the Guardian weekly podcast. Basically, Meadows bought land for development, including DHFC but promised to build a new purpose built ground for them – and in the meantime said they’d rent the ground to the club and, crucially, they also promised to pay that rent (ie rented it to themselves as some sort of accountancy wheeze). Then the council blocked their planning application because they wouldn’t build enough affordable houses as they’d promised. That’s when Meadow turned nasty – and used DHFC as a bargaining chip threatening to close them down......... (Sounds like that conversation IJN overheard Heaney having in the hotel that time about Argyle)........ Then they turned around and asked for immediate payment of £120K of back-dated rent from the club. Then, because the fans mounted a publicity campaign against them, out of sheer spite they sent a letter saying that they had taken out a trade mark on the name ‘Dulwich Hamlet’ and the club were therefore forbidden from even calling themselves by that name or using any kind of DHFC labelling/ logos/ merchandising etc, ……

The good news is that the fans have mounted a terrific publicity campaign and it’s become a bit of a ‘cause-celeb’ which combined with Meadows’ outrageous vindictiveness means their bully boy tactics may well have back-fired. The rest of the clubs in the league have rallied to their support (including local rivals offering temporary ground share) & the council have got behind them – there is real chance the council may now issue a compulsory purchase on Meadows to take the land away from them (including Dulwich Hamlet's ground). The guy I heard talking sounded quite optimistic that Meadows had seriously miscalculated and after the furore about Millwall - councils are now more likely to stand up for this sort of community based asset. Quite right too. Good luck to ‘em.
 
Aug 17, 2005
2,375
595
Isn't there some sort of community asset thing that can be wrapped around the ground which the city councilman decide in