CAMPAIGNERS have made an official complaint to an ombudsman about Barnet Council's handling of the Hendon football club site in Cricklewood.

The Claremont Road stadium has had planning permission for dozens of new flats to be built on it since 2004, but financial problems for the leaseholders means no work has started.

Barnet Council owns the land as trustee but Montclare Ltd, made up of former-directors of Hendon FC, holds a leasehold on it.

However, campaigners Gordon Kerr and Robert Goymour argue the approval should never have been given as the ground has protective covenants on it which were unlawfully removed.

Now they have lodged a complaint with the local government ombudsman saying the council failed to properly assess three village green applications for the site.

Mr Kerr said: “From the responses we got it was clear Barnet officers had not even bothered to familiarise themselves with the relevant legislation.

“We have written numerous letters to the council and the only response we have had is an email saying they don't think they have done anything wrong, it's madness. They never address any of our points.

“This land belongs to the public, not the council, and it's not up to them to try and sell it off to make quick money. It's a community asset and must remain so.”

The buildings were demolished in 2009 after Romanian squatters moved into the stadium site.

At a cabinet resources committee meeting on Wednesday, March 2, it is expected councillors will give officers permission to re-market the site to other interested parties.

These could include the consortium behind the Brent Cross Cricklewood regeneration project, which will border the site, or another private developer.

But Mr Kerr urged the council to hold off until any ruling from the ombudsman, as it could stop any development going ahead on the land.

A statement from the council said it was looking to market the site to “help ease budget pressures”.

It added: “An initial application for village green status was made. This was processed through the normal planning channels with a decision made not to award the land village green status as it failed to meet necessary criteria.

“Subsequent applications have mirrored the initial one in nearly every respect, with the council therefore not bound to process these until an alternative application is made.”