Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron has "led calls for the compulsory purchase" of League One side Millwall’s land around The Den to be abandoned after revelations about "the handling of the scheme," according to Barney Ronay of the London GUARDIAN. In the last few days, it "has emerged that the charity at the heart of the project, the Surrey Canal Sports Foundation, has made a false claim of a major funding agreement with Sport England." Questions "have also been raised about the award of half a million pounds of public money" to the charity by Lewisham Council. Lewisham has now opened an internal inquiry after its own scrutiny business panel expressed "alarm" over the council’s conduct and the relationship with offshore-registered developer Renewal. In related developments, the leader of Southwark Council, Peter John, a trustee of the sports charity at the heart of the development and a "powerful long-term backer," has expressed doubts about the workings of the scheme. The most recent revelations "come on the back of gathering doubts about the current New Bermondsey scheme," under which Millwall’s land around The Den would be sold to offshore-registered developers Renewal, a move that "could threaten Millwall’s future in its historical home" (GUARDIAN, 1/23).
