CHARLTON chief executive Peter Varney delivered a stinging rebuke to a local residents’ group who have embroiled the club in fresh controversy over plans to redevelop The Valley.

They claim to have been snubbed over what they describe as "shock plans" to increase the ground’s capacity to 40,000.

The Addicks submitted an initial outline planning application for increasing the Valley’s capacity to 31,000. They have never made a secret of wanting to eventually raise the capacity to 40,600.

A residents’ liaison committee accused the club of freezing them out of the consultation process, but Mr Varney said: "We were asked by local residents and Greenwich Council to be open about our plans for The Valley.

"This is what we have done throughout the consultation process via letters and an exhibition held over a two-week period at The Valley of both the east and south stand proposals.

"The south stand application is not detailed and is merely an outline application which follows on from the process when we submitted the east stand planning application at the end of 2004."

He added: "For more than 100 years Charlton have been, and still are, an integral part of life in the borough.

"Many people would have brought their homes in the area knowing there was a football club in operation. And a football club that at one stage attracted crowds of 70,000."

Greenwich Council granted approval for the east stand proposals on June 30, 2005, with the alterations also set to benefit the community.

Mr Varney stressed: "This decision is vital to Charlton’s ongoing development. There is now a clear endorsement to build a new east stand to take the capacity to 31,000.

"We have also made clear our ambition to increase capacity to 40,600."

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