MILLWALL chief executive Steve Kavanagh has confirmed the club have bought a “significant area of land” in Kent with a view to developing a new “high-end training complex”.
News of the proposed facility emerged last week when a letter to residents from Kavanagh about the purchase and a consultation meeting surfaced online.
The Lions have appointed architects with the planning application process expected to take up to a year.
Kavanagh said the completion of a new training facility would be a “huge step forward” for the club.
Millwall sold their Bromley base in 2006 to St John’s College for £1.85million when Peter de Savary was chairman and have been leasing the land since.
Then-CEO Andy Ambler told NewsAtDen in 2014: “In an ideal world we would own our training ground rather than lease it.
“To move forward as a club, we need to be able to invest in our facilities and it therefore makes sense to own the land.”
Kavanagh has now confirmed plans are in place for a new training base.
“I’m delighted to be able to write to all of you firstly to formally confirm that we have purchased a significant area of land in West Kingsdown, Kent, with a view to building a new high-end training complex for the club,” Kavanagh said in his newsletter to fans on millwallfc.co.uk.
“The process is still in its infancy but on Monday night I was fortunate to meet with local residents as a very early engagement exercise to outline our plans, what we hope to achieve and also what we feel we could bring to their community, while also better understanding any queries or concerns they had about the proposals.
“We have appointed architects and will submit a full planning application as soon as possible. That process, which is likely to take at least a year, will include regular consultation with residents so as to ensure we can incorporate their ideas and find ways of overcoming any problems, alongside other key stakeholders including Sevenoaks Council, the Highways Agency and more.
“Should our hope of building this new training complex become a reality then it will be a huge step forward for the football club on and off the pitch.
“Greater synergy between our first team and academy set-ups is an imperative objective, as is the enhancing links between the football and business sides of the club.
“More generally the aim is to build and maintain training facilities which are amongst the best in the country. This will enable us to improve our own players to maximise their individual and collective potential and to become a more attractive proposition to new recruits across all departments.
“It is very important to stress, however, that this is not just about us and doing what we can to grow as a club. We want to make a real impact within the area of West Kingsdown and as such, will look to widen the outstanding work of the Millwall Community Trust so that residents of all ages and backgrounds can benefit from their varying programmes, projects, and funding.
“What we need to do is better understand the challenges of the area and the problems faced by those who live nearby so that the Community Trust’s efforts can be tailored to best suit those objectives.
“The obvious question is, ‘how long will this all take?’. The truth is it is impossible to say at this stage, but we are conscious that the lease on the site at Calmont Road doesn’t have too many years left to run. I liken this to buying a house; once it all goes through you want to move in as soon as you can. This is no different and it’s never straightforward.
“What we cannot afford to do is be complacent about any of this and it is crucial to take one step at a time. Next up is the task of submitting a full planning application and then following the formal process necessary within that.
“We will be as open and transparent as we can be throughout the months and years ahead while also maintaining the confidentiality required at varying stages.
“It remains important to focus on the here and now also, and this week we’ll be taking delivery of a new unit to house the gym and physiotherapy and sports science offices at Calmont Road. The installation of this large unit is part of a wider rearrangement of facilities there designed to improve the working areas of the management and the players.”
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