Darwen FC new stadium plans shelved

5:41pm Tuesday 22nd July 2008

THE new man at the helm of Darwen Football Club has shelved plans for a multi-million pound stadium redevelopment.

Kevin Henry won a court injunction last week banning former boss Ted Ward from the Anchor Ground.

He said: “My plan for today is to go and buy tea bags, and make sure we have enough beer behind the bar.

"I have no pie in the sky dreams about building £20million stadiums.”

Mr Ward had unveiled plans for a £22million, 5,000-capacity stadium, with shops and a hotel, on land at Robin Bank.

But it later emerged that the artist’s impression of the planned stadium was in fact the University of Tulsa American football stadium from Oklahoma.

The For Darwen party used the proposed new stadium on its campaign leaflets for the May 1 elections – and opposition politicians said the project’s failure would embarrass the For Darwen Party.

Their leader, Tony Melia, said: “Ted Ward asked if I would introduce him to the relevant officers at the council so he could make soundings about the stadium.

“At that time I was very confident. He was very convincing.

"As a councillor, if someone comes in with an offer on that scale for the town you’ve got to take them at face value.

“I think it would be fantastic and if another offer came along, I would try to help – although I would probably be more cautious.

“Undoubtedly I will face criticism, but it’s a case of whether you sit on your backside or try to move things forward.”

On Friday at Birmingham Civil Justice Centre, Mr Ward was turned out of the club by former owner Mr Henry, who claimed he had never been paid for his share.

"The injunction will last until a court can resolve the dispute between the pair.

Referring to the stadium plans, Mr Henry said: “There will be no announcement of a £20million stadium with my name attached to it.”

One For Darwen election leaflet said the party had been “in discussions” with Mr Ward for nine months, and said a picture showing a stadium was “the result of the discussions”.

It described a “state of the art” complex at Robin Bank, saying: “We think it’s important to keep people informed about the work your For Darwen councillors are doing”.

When we revealed in April that the image was of the Tulsa stadium, Coun Melia said the artist’s impression was meant to be showing the ‘type of design they want to put in Darwen’.

Labour group leader Kate Hollern slammed Coun Melia, whose party won three seats on May 1.

She said: “It was a cheap publicity stunt. Everyone could see it was pie in the sky but they conned people with electioneering.”

The judge also ordered Mr Ward’s businesses, including the weekly newspaper The Darrener, out of the Anchor Ground after Mr Henry’s lawyers claimed its staff had been trespassing.

The Darrener editor Peter Holland said he had been shocked at the injunction and was trying to find a new home for the newspaper.

There would be no edition this week or probably next week, he added.

Mr Ward said he had been told by solicitors not to comment.

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