QPR must quit Loftus Road and seize 'last chance' to stay in W12, warns Lee Hoos

Ground force: Lee Hoos has plans to redevelop the Linford Christie Stadium
Alamy Stock Photo

QPR chief executive Lee Hoos today warned fans that the club are “not financially sustainable” at their Loftus Road home and says a proposed move to the Linford Christie athletics stadium represents a last chance to stay in the Shepherds Bush area.

Hoos laid out the stark options facing QPR in a document titled Secure ‘R’ Future, aimed at convincing sceptical fans that a move from their base for most of the past 100 years is inevitable.

Loftus Road is the third-smallest stadium in the Championship, with a capacity of 18,439. Only Brentford, who are moving to a new ground next year, and Rotherham accommodate fewer fans. The ageing stadium also has limited non-matchday revenue, as director of football Les Ferdinand told the Standard last week.

Hoos said: “Fan groups have asked us to set out in more detail the reasons we are looking for a new stadium, which is why we have published this document today. We have to face up to the fact that this club is not financially sustainable in the long term whilst we remain at Loftus Road and we are running out of possible sites near our current home where we could move to.”

The club have already looked at four potential sites in the White City and Old Oak Common regeneration areas but have not been able to secure a plot suitable for a new all-seater stadium meeting modern health and safety rules.

They have also ruled out expanding the current stadium on cost and planning grounds. The latest plan involves the dilapidated council-owned stadium that is home to Linford Christie’s athletics club Thames Valley Harriers. It involves creating a multi-sport hub, with a new stadium for QPR next to a new community athletics facility.

The site is more than three times the size of the 4.5-acre Loftus Road plot and only half a mile away. However, the plan is certain to be opposed by campaigners who worry about the impact on the adjacent open space of Wormwood Scrubs. If it falls through, QPR bosses and owner Tony Fernandes believe that the club will be forced to quit their W12 heartland.

Hoos said: “The idea of a QPR community stadium — with a new athletics track and community sport facility next door — on the Linford Christie Stadium site represents the only chance of staying in W12. If we get the go-ahead to pursue this option we will consult with fans about how any new stadium would work and, crucially, how we retain the best characteristics of Loftus Road.

“We will do everything we can to highlight to the council that QPR is an important part of this local community.”

The document comes at a time when QPR’s finances have been hit by a £42million Financial Fair Play penalty.

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