Fulham are expected to shortly announce the signing of a contract covering the
groundshare arrangement with QPR for next season. West Ham had been a possibility
but Fulham took into account the travel difficulties of their fans and settled
for Loftus Road.
Fulham will pay about £1 million for a 12-month ground-sharing contract
and if necessary they will be able to extend their agreement with QPR.
London Wasps rugby union club will move from Loftus Road, probably to Wycombe
Wanderers’ Adams Park, for which they will be compensated.
Fulham want to use QPR's stadium while their Craven Cottage home is redeveloped
into a 30,000-seat stadium.
At the depth of Fulham's brush with extinction in 1987 Marler Estates unsuccessfully
attempted to orchestrate the amalgamation of Fulham and QPR into Fulham Park Rangers.
How times have changed with both clubs now able to work together to ensure their
separate survival and growth.
Some delay to the redevelopment is expected if the Fulham Alliance, the group
representing a small group of residents opposed to the redevelopment of Craven
Cottage, appeal against a High Court decision against them.
The appeal could delay the formal issuing of planning permission to Fulham. A
High Court judge will rule on the validity of the Alliance’s appeal near
the end of February.