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Next Game: Banbury Away On Friday March 29th Kick-Off 3.00pm

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Andy Lonsdale


One of the people at yesterday's Council meeting has been identified as Andy Lonsdale.


Lonsdale is one of two Presidents at Bedfont & Feltham FC, where the recent trials match took place for Hereford United. The Bedfont and Felgate club was formed in 2012 with landlords Bedfont merging with tenants Feltham.

Feltham's own ground was undergoing development work at the time. A newspaper report from Get West London (link) in September 2013 includes the following on a development project at Feltham FC's former ground:

WORK at the 14-acre former landfill site, which also boasts the running track where Mo Farah took his first steps towards Olympic glory, was always due to be funded by income from the disposal of soil from nearby developments.

But while the club was given permission to import up to 16,000 cubic metres of soil, a council survey last year showed 73,000m3 of soil and building rubble had been dumped at the site - nearly five times the volume permitted.

Planning permission also allowed the creation of 1.8 metre raised banks for spectators, but the extra soil and waste dumped means the actual height of the land was raised by an estimated four to 4.5 metres - at least twice the height permitted.

The work was carried out by All Transport Limited, a company run by then Feltham FC chairman Andrew Lonsdale, which has since gone into liquidation.

The scrutiny group's report estimates the disposal of soil and building rubble could have generated revenue of about £1.24 million, which even taking into account associated costs could have led to a profit of some £318,000.

But Mr Lonsdale has insisted it only generated £360,000 revenue and the project overall made a loss of £100,000.

However, the scrutiny group's report states 'there is reason to doubt' his figures as he claimed the total volume of waste imported was only 41,000m3 - far less, it says, than the true sum.

The report also reveals how Mr Lonsdale was convicted in 2008 for the dumping of 600 lorry loads of waste on green belt land in South Bucks District Council.

He has also been the director of a number of haulage companies which were liquidated or dissolved and he was registered by Companies House as a disqualified director from October 2, 2006 to October 1, 2012.

The scrutiny group's report claims there was a 'clear conflict' between Mr Lonsdale's two roles but says it is not clear whether anyone profited from the work.