St Johnstone’s coffers could soon be boosted by a six-figure payment from Perth and Kinross Council, Courier Sport can reveal.
The Perth club and the local authority have been involved in a prolonged dispute over a compulsory purchase order at McDiarmid Park, which has now dragged on for a decade.
Saints fought against attempts by the council to take over part of their training ground to build a new relief road next to the crematorium, which now links the city to a billion-pound housing development at Bertha Park.
They insisted that the site was vital to their long-term future.
Steve Brown, club chairman at the time, highlighted the importance of the training pitch in a letter to Scottish Ministers in 2015.
He said: “As with all smaller professional football clubs, it is a constant struggle to generate and maintain income levels sufficient to maintain the stadium grounds, training facilities and of course players and staff salaries.
“If it (the training pitch) were lost, it could not be replaced elsewhere without our ownership and we would be forced into finding an alternative off-site location which… would be much less satisfactory from an operational point of view.”
Now, the council has confirmed that the wrangle over the payment Saints will receive has been paused by Lands Tribunal Scotland.
And a conclusion is near.
A Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson said: “St Johnstone Football Club have raised a claim with the Lands Tribunal to establish the value of the land which the council acquired as part of the A9/A85 junction upgrade.
“The case has been paused for the parties to reach an agreement themselves.
“Although matters are now at an advanced stage, the council cannot comment further while proceedings are ongoing.”
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