QPR’s hopes of a new stadium in the borough of Hammersmith & Fulham have suffered a big setback.
Rangers co-owner Tony Fernandes has accused the local authority of failing to support the club’s attempts to relocate within the borough.
The club want to leave Loftus Road and move to the site of the Linford Christie Stadium near Wormwood Scrubs.
However, Hammersmith & Fulham Council issued a statement on Wednesday calling for Rangers fans “to lobby their owners to hand over the ownership of their club to the fans so it can remain in the borough.”
A council spokesperson said: “We’ve had many meetings with Tony Fernandes and his team.
“He’s lobbied us to turn the current QPR stadium into housing and even lobbied us to add in the nearby council homes on Batman Close so he can become one of the biggest developers in White City – one of the hottest development neighbourhoods in the country.
“We’ve been extremely clear that we will never hand over people’s homes on Batman Close to any developer and cannot give any land away for free.
“If QPR’s owners won’t put their money where their mouth is and invest in the current stadium we’ve offered to consider other options such as renting other sites.
“We think this is a crunch point for QPR. We call on the owners to put the club and its fans first and consider an FC Barcelona-style fan ownership.
“We love QPR but don’t see it as our business to help QPR’s owners engage in property speculation.”