AFC Wimbledon move step closer to Plough Lane return

AFC Wimbledon have moved a step closer to a return to their historical home of Plough Lane after the Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport decided against listing Wimbledon Stadium.

The League One club announced on June 22 that they had the good news passed onto them by Historic England. The decision means the Dons should be able to redevelop the Merton-area site in the future to turn what is currently a greyhound racing track into a stadium fit for professional football.

The greyhound racing stadium closed in March 2017 and Galliard Homes are to build more than 600 flats on the site. There are currently plans for an 11,000-seater stadium to be built on the site to be the new home of the Dons, with capacity to increase it to a 20,000-seater stadium at a later date. The club hope to be playing at the redeveloped stadium from the summer of 2019.

However, should the Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport have chosen to list the current stadium structure, which was opened in 1928, that would have at best severely delayed the Dons plans.

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