CHERRIES chairman Eddie Mitchell has expressed a desire to see Dean Court returned to club ownership but says buying back the stadium is not a priority.

The ground has been owned by Structadene, a London-based property company, since a controversial sale-and-leaseback agreement was struck in 2005.

Since taking a controlling interest in Cherries in 2009, Mitchell has made a series of unsuccessful attempts to persuade Structadene to sell the stadium back to the club.

And although he said the club had drawn a line under the matter after being knocked back in May last year, Mitchell confirmed purchasing the ground was still very much on the agenda.

He told the Daily Echo: “We would like to get it under the control of the supporters and for the club to own it again. But to do that, somebody would still have to put in the money and the club itself has got to get in a position where it can buy it.

“Even if we got the investment, buying it is not a necessity because, legally, we are here for a certain period of time and only a failure to pay the rent would change that.

“We are secure so it is not something we have got to jump into. We can bide our time, get the club in a position to buy it and then look to get the right price at the right time.”

Dean Court was sold to Structadene for around £3.5million and immediately leased back, with Cherries paying in the region of £300,000 a year in rent.

A buy-back price was originally set at £4.25m, with Cherries holding the option to purchase the stadium at a price rising by £60,000 a year for five years.

Although the agreement expired in April 2010, details of subsequent rent payments and buy-back options have remained private.