SOUTHEND United chairman Ron Martin will contact owners of the vital piece of land the club needs to buy for a stadium move to Fossetts Farm to go ahead.

The news comes after Southend Council announced it will revisit plans to make a compulsory purchase order (CPO) on the key, former Prospects College site, in Fairfax Drive, Southend.

On March 1, 2012, the council decided to make a CPO on the excollege site and also businesses in Victoria Avenue.

The CPO has yet to come about, but the council’s cabinet will receive an update on the issue at its meeting next Tuesday, in a move that will, hopefully, kickstart progress on the Blues’ move from Roots Hall to a 22,000-seater stadium at Fossetts Farm.

During the meeting, the cabinet is expected to agree to review the CPO decision at its meeting on November 10. Council leader, Ron Woodley, said: “The council wholeheartedly backs the club’s ambitions to move to a new ground. However, three-and-a-half years have passed and circumstances have changed, so it is right to reconsider the Roots Hall CPO status, once we have the relevant information we have requested.

“It is our intention to bring a report to the cabinet meeting of cabinet November 10, which will detail any changed circumstances.

“We have also requested additional information on the progress of the Roots Hall and Fossetts Farm development proposal which will allow us to make an informed decision on how we proceed.”

Talks were scheduled for June, but ended up being shelved after the club failed to provide the necessary documentation in time for the debate.

The agenda for next week’s meeting also states that before November 10, Mr Martin will contact Prospects College, who are still willing sellers, to enter into further negotiations on the sale of the land by agreement, to either Roots Hall Limited, Mr Martin’s company, or Sainsbury’s.

Neil Bates, principal and chief executive of Prospects, said: “We would need assurances Mr Martin has the capacity and funds to buy our site and that the purchase price is in line with previous agreements. If he can do that, then yes, the site is still up for sale, but it is up for sale to whoever wants to buy it.”

Plans for Fossetts Farm, which would also include a 12-screen cinema and a 13-storey tower block of 170 apartments, have yet to be formally submitted to the council.