Lewisham council is still seeking a compulsory purchase of land leased by Millwall around the Den, according to an email sent by the borough’s deputy mayor.
Plans to seize the club’s leasehold land were abandoned at the start of the year after widespread outcry at a scheme Millwall say threatens the club’s future at their current home. In January this year Lewisham’s mayor, Steve Bullock, gave in to public pressure and announced that the CPO would “not proceed”.
However, an email sent to all Lewisham councillors by the deputy mayor, Alan Smith, two weeks ago, and seen by the Guardian, appears to confirm the CPO is an ongoing project.
Smith’s email refers to various sites around the Den currently occupied by Millwall and its community trust before concluding: “We are seeking to CPO the lease interest in these sites.The stadium is not included in any of the discussions and is excluded from the CPO and from the planning application made by [the developer] Renewal.”