Oxford still face a battle for new stand

A fourth stand at Oxford’s Kassam Stadium has been given the green-light, but the club still face the tough task of coming to an agreement with Firoz Kassam, the ground’s owner.

Oxford City council have given the go-ahead to build the temporary, 735 seat stand but it is down to Kassam on whether it will be erected any time soon.

Previous discussions between the U’s and Kassam, in an attempt to build a new stand and increase the capacity, have proved unsuccessful and fans are not entirely confident this latest development will yield much success.

However, Kemp & Kemp planning partner Huw Mellor, who is operating as an agent for Oxford, was more upbeat and said “as a football fan” he was “genuinely pleased” with the result.

Mellor added: “We worked closely with the football club from the outset, to understand their needs for the extra spectator accommodation and to ensure that the planning application was presented to the city council in the best shape it could be.

“We now wish the club all the very best in its attempt to climb out of League One this season.”

The club had hoped the stand would have been in place for Saturday’s derby win against Swindon, which was a sell-out of over 11,000 fans, but it could be a while yet before an agreement is reached.