Hatters had hoped for an earlier date for planning meeting

By the time the Power Court and Newlands Park plans are determined it will be two years since they were submitted, and Mr Sweet stated back in February that the hold-up was “unfathomable”.

Today, he said: “Naturally, we were hoping for a decision sooner and we would have expected an earlier date, but they have had a duty to respond to serious challenges questioning aspects of our applications.

“We know the council’s planning team are working flat out. They have everything they need from us and we’ll continue to respond promptly should they require anything further, so the only thing that can delay it now is a persistent challenge above and beyond the proper due process that we are all working to.

“We will soon be at the point where the applications have been in play for two years, since when we have answered all manner of queries already to ensure it is the right decision for Luton. Of course, the new season will be underway so we may need to ask for a little flexibility in August just in case we’re playing in League One up at The Stadium of Light on the same evening!”