BARNET FC have announced plans to return to Barnet after a ten year “exile” in Harrow.
That’s according to chairman Anthony Kleanthous who has announced plans for a brand new stadium at the former site of their North London home.
The club have been based at The Hive in Edgware since 2013 after relocating from their previous stadium at Underhill.
Underhill stadium was home to the club for more than a century after playing there since 1907 but the side were forced to relocate due to lease disputes with the council.
While Underhill has long since been demolished, Kleanthous has announced plans to build a new stadium metres from its original grounds.
For now, the new ground has been dubbed South Underhill and WSP Planning Consultancy have been instructed to commence the pre-application process ahead of building the new stadium.
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Kleanthous wrote in a club statement: “During the long months of Covid, I busied myself with trying to find a way to bring the club back home and met with Barnet Council to ask for their support in locating a suitable site on which I could build a new stadium.
“I undertook to fund the full cost of construction so that we could progress without any funding delays.
“After months of searching, it became clear that the best site was the one we originally identified at South Underhill and so we asked our architect to revisit these proposals.
“This new scheme is a redesigned slimmed down version of our original planning application at the South Underhill site.”
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The plans will see a new school built adjacent to the stadium, which will have access to two multiuse games areas and a recreation zone by the stadium.
The club will also develop the playing fields next to the proposed grounds for the new stadium.
Barnet are expected to provide an update on the planning process by the end of the month and Kleanthous added: “We hope that we will receive the full support of Barnet FC fans, local residents and the council so that we can bring our incredible club back to where it belongs.”
The club’s departure from Underhill in 2013 coincided with relegation from the Football League, but they did achieve a return to the EFL between 2015 and 2018.
Now back in the National League, the North London side will hope that a new Underhill will again spearhead a return to league football.
Barnet are currently third in the National League, and spearheaded by former Celtic and Norwich City star Gary Hooper.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
