THE new owners of Dumbarton FC hope to resurrect plans to build a new stadium at Young’s Farm to the west of the town, the club has announced.
The bid to revive development plans for the Renton Road site – scuppered when West Dunbartonshire Council refused an application for planning permission in early 2019 – was revealed in a club statement shedding more light on the buyout of owning company Brabco’s majority stake by a Birmingham-based firm of venture capitalists.
The purchase of Brabco’s stake in the club by Cognitive Capital Ltd was announced on Friday.
According to the UK Government’s Companies House website, Cognitive Capital Ltd’s two directors are Henning Kristoffersen and Matthew Atkinson.
In a statement issued on Dumbarton FC’s official website on Tuesday, a club spokesperson said Mr Kristoffersen would take the lead on footballing matters at the club.
READ MORE: New owners take charge at Dumbarton FC after Brabco majority stake is bought out
The statement also says that any resurrected plans for a new stadium at Young’s Farm would not include any residential element, as was the case with the previous proposals, which contained provision for up to 200 homes.
The statement read: “ Cognitive Capital Ltd have bought 100 per cent of Brabco 736 Ltd from Granada Enterprises Ltd, the offshore company. This deal has been lead by Henning Kristoffersen, a Norwegian financial services entrepreneur, who becomes a major shareholder in Cogntive Capital Ltd.
“Cognitive Capital Ltd is a UK company led by Henning Kirstoffersen and Matthew Atkinson. Henning will take the lead on footballing matters, Matthew, a qualified architect, on property and stadium matters.
“There will be four new board members who will work alongside the current board: Henning; his wife, Kamila; Neil Dermott, an architect and Robert Roche, a financier.
“The Hosie Family will retain a stake in the club, maintaining their 50+ year association with DFC.
READ MORE: Video footage brings back memories of Dumbarton's Boghead days
“Our priorities will be to:
(a) Maintain the legacy of Dumbarton Football Club and build its profile into its 150th year and beyond, and develop a commercial engine to underpin that success.
(b) Begin to make the transition to a full-time squad. Our short term target is to create a stable Championship club.
(c) Use Henning's global contacts to build links with international clubs and players, especially in Scandinavia.
(d) Reignite plans for a new, increased capacity community sports and leisure facility at Young's Farm, without the residential element that previously caused objection.
(e) Look to develop the planning permission at Castle Road to financially support the club and contribute towards the new stadium.
(f) Increase supporter participation and ownership in the football club.
“ Dumbarton FC will keep our supporters fully informed of the progress of plans for the club.”
Proposals for a new local development plan (LDP) for West Dunbartonshire, published in May 2020, appeared to rule out the prospect of a new stadium being built at the Young's Farm site.
That position was underlined by the conclusions of a Scottish Government reporter, whose comments on the LDP proposals were released three months later.
READ MORE: Report says no – again – to Sons' hopes of building a new stadium at Young's Farm
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here