Fulham fans campaigning for a return to Craven Cottage have received a welcome boost with the support of English Heritage, on the eve of the launch of the Fulham Supporters' Trust.

In a letter to the Trust's Back to the Cottage campaign, English Heritage - the guardians of listed buildings and a statutory consultee on any planning permission sought for the Craven Cottage site with its historic listed structures - express their support for a return to football at Craven Cottage with the protection of the grade two listed Stevenage Road stand and Craven Cottage buildings.

The letter from Paul Velluet, Assistant Regional Director and Regional Architect, answering on behalf of Chief Executive Dr Simon Thurley, says: "We do not underestimate the importance of Craven Cottage as a home of professional football in this part of West London."

He also writes: "Our support for the Craven Cottage redevelopment scheme... was based very much on our desire to see the long established use of the ground as a home of professional football... through a scheme which retained and incorporated the most significant part of the listed structures."

English Heritage go on to signal their willingness to work with the Council, the Trust and ideally the Club to find a way forward for an alternative redevelopment of the site as a football ground "that will ensure the ground and its listed structures are brought back into appropriate use at the earliest opportunity."

Commenting on the contents of the correspondence, Back to the Cottage spokesman Tom Greatrex said: "The support of English Heritage is hugely significant in the campaign to return to Craven Cottage. Quite rightly, they recognise the uniqueness of the site and want to see the listed buildings brought back into use as soon as possible. We will be pressing the Club to engage with English Heritage, the Council and other appropriate bodies to secure a suitable proposal for redevelopment that keeps Fulham Football Club in Fulham, at our historic home."

Notes to Editors:

1. Back to the Cottage is the campaign name of the Fulham Supporters' Trust, which has been established with the support and assistance of the government funded Supporters Direct initiative.

2. The Supporters' Trust will be launched at a public meeting chaired by lifelong Fulham fan Steve Pound MP at Hammersmith Town Hall on Tuesday 6 May, starting at 7.30pm.

3. The launch is part of a public meeting where the Trust will show how a return to Craven Cottage could be achieved, air a new film on Craven Cottage and give fans the opportunity to express their views on the most pressing issue facing Fulham Football Club.