Hull City Council has said it is committed to working with Hull City on plans for a multi-million 'sports village', but issues including Hull Fair mean they are not straightforward.
A Hull City Council spokesperson said meetings have been taking place for some time with Hull City on the plans, which include state-of-the-art training facilities. But they added the plans were complicated by the development being proposed in part of West Park and Walton Street car park, the current home of Hull Fair.
It comes after the £25m plans were unveiled by the club around a year ago. They would see City's academy and first team come under one roof and they also involve longer term plans to refurbish and expand the 25,000-seat MKM Stadium.
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The site could also feature a Hull City museum, under proposals unveiled by the club which were welcomed by the council at the time. Hull City's team currently trains at facilities in Cottingham which lacked investment under the club's previous owners.
Its academy is run from Bishop Burton College, near Beverley. The plans are part of Tigers' current owner Acun Ilicali's ambition to regenerate the area around the stadium and get the team into the Premier League.
But Hull City Vice Chair Tan Kesler told the audience of The 1904 Club's live show the project had not progressed since proposals were unveiled. a year ago. The club's vice chair added that it was up to the council, which owns MKM Stadium, the park and car park, to move the project forward.
He said: "Everybody's trying, we are competing, we're trying to do everything to compete with the top teams on the football side. We had a brilliant project and then we proposed it to the city council and everybody else.
"But I'm quite lost at the moment, I'm a little bit discouraged. The fair (Hull Fair) has been an issue, being able to give us an additional piece of land is an issue also, giving us the long term lease of the stadium is an issue.
"So all these are an issue and it's not being resolved. To be honest with you, it's on the city (council's) side, if I don't see any proactive approach by the city council, we're not going to do anything because we're fine."
The comments prompted council leader Cllr Mike Ross to publicly extend an invitation to Mr Kesler. The council leader said on X: "Let's meet again, I was told new plans were being drawn up, happy to sit down any time and see where this has got to.
"Discussions have been ongoing over this. No blockage at the council end to moving this forward."
A petition launched by Hull City fans to get the project moving has also been signed by 1,250 as of Wednesday (February 7). The council's spokesperson said they were working with all parties to help reach an outcome acceptable to everyone involved.
The spokesperson said: "We continue to liaise with the stadium management company over development proposals to improve the stadium and the surrounding area. Contrary to some reports, these meetings have been taking place for some time as the club continues to develop its plans.
"The council is engaging with the aim of maximising the benefits for the club and the local community, but the process is not straightforward because the plans impact on a public park and a small part of the operating area of Hull Fair, which is granted under a Royal Charter. The council remains committed to working with the club to support it with its plans, which would also provide significant investment for the area.
"As is the case with many developments, the proposals will also require planning consent and the council will work to assist the club through that process."
