Permission has been granted to build a new £16 million football stadium in south-west London.

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid, confirmed on Tuesday, 27 September, he would not call in plans by AFC Wimbledon to develop the 11,000-seater venue for Plough Lane in Merton.

Aside from the new stadium, features include retail space, a squash and fitness club, car and cycle parking as well as over 600 new homes by Galliard Homes.

In a statement, AFC Wimbledon said: "Since being submitted 20 months ago, our plans have been subjected to exhaustive scrutiny by Merton Council and the GLA, statutory bodies such as Transport for London and the Environment Agency, as well as three rounds of public consultation, and have won unanimous support. So we are pleased that the Secretary of State has concluded that he need not intervene and we thank him for that."

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Chief Executive Erik Samuelson said: "We would like to thank the very many people who have supported us in this and previous campaigns, in particular by writing to the relevant authorities to urge approval of the application.

"Such support is a sign of the continued determination to return to Wimbledon that has sustained us over the time since we re-formed.

"And now, at long last, we can start planning with confidence to give AFC Wimbledon a secure future at the heart of the community the club represents, as well as building many much-needed homes and providing a major boost to the economy of the area. After so many years in exile, the Dons are coming home."

AFC Wimbledon was founded by Wimbledon FC supporters in June 2002, after a independent commission approved the relocation of the club to Milton Keynes, 56 miles north of Wimbledon.

(LM)