Home Park stadium is to remain on the register as an Asset of Community Value.
An application to renew the status of the land and buildings at Home Park has been approved by the Council’s legal team and will remain on the register for another five years.
It covers the football stadium at Home Park, including the ticket office, club offices, car park and hospitality accommodation at Higher Home Park.
The nomination was put forward by the Argyle Fans’ Trust for the following reasons;
- Home Park has been home to Plymouth Argyle FC since 1901
- The stadium is crucial in enabling the club to deliver social value and community benefit through sporting and social activities in which the club needs a suitable home to host its matches
- The money invested into developing Home Park over the years from various sources – the Football Club’s owner and shareholders, the Football Foundation, the Club (and its supporters), Plymouth City Council, means that Home Park remains the only realistic and viable home for Plymouth Argyle FC
- Plymouth Argyle FC delivers both social value and community benefit to Plymouth as an integral part of the local area.
Deputy leader Councillor Patrick Nicholson said: “Plymouth Argyle plays such a big role in the city and over the last year or so we have been blown away by the incredible work the club has done with the public and with the NHS through the pandemic.
“There is a huge sense of community pride in this club and the fans’ trust put in a really strong application which was a great reminder of the scale of what the club do on and off the pitch. We were more than happy to see the application renewed.”
Being on the list means that should the owner intend to sell the asset he must notify the local Council. A community interest group then has six weeks to ask to be treated as a potential bidder. If it does, the sale cannot take place for six months. Known as the moratorium, this period allows the group to come up with an alternative proposal – although at the end of this period it is up to the owner whether a sale goes though, to whom and for how much.
Since 2016, when the land was originally a nominated as an asset of community value, Home Park has become a conference and hospitality venue following a major multi-million-pound investment by the club owner and major shareholder.
The club’s facilities are now capable of being used on non-match days as a facility for non-sporting purposes to the benefit Plymouth, not least recently by the NHS to bolster the NHS’ capacity during the coronavirus crisis.
Home Park now operates seven days a week, all year round, which – were it not for the current crisis -- brings thousands of people from all over the country into our city each year with non-player employees, volunteers and supporters all helping in the club’s success.
Other points set out in the application by the trust included how the club provides local people with an inclusive social environment open to all.
The club works hard to foster such campaigns such as 'Kick it Out', an equality and inclusion campaign for football and beyond and engages fans in countless charitable events including the club's 'Armed Services Day'.
Through the Argyle Community Trust, the club also offers a huge range of activities in the wider community designed to help improve the lives of local people whether through health, well-being activities or education and skills.