Luton Town FC: Limak Holding which is building new Power Court stadium accused of being 'ecological vandal'
A Turkish contractor hired to build Luton Town FC’s new Power Court Stadium has been slammed as a "repeat ecological vandal" after campaigners accused it of cutting down entire forests to supply coal plants.
According to a report published by New Civil Engineer in London on October 28, Limak Holding is trying to build an environmentally friendly image in the UK while being accused of large-scale ecological destruction in its home country.
Campaigners told the outlet that expansion of the coal mines to supply its thermal power plants had caused mass tree felling in the Akbelen Forest and risked forcing up to 20 villages to relocate.
Villagers and environmental activists had reportedly protested against the deforestation in 2023, facing police intervention with tear gas, water cannons, and armoured vehicles.
Despite the protests, more than half of the forest was reportedly cleared within months.
One villager told how mining had devastated local lives, describing the process as one of dispossession and uprooting. They said they were resisting not just for the forest but for their very existence.
Olive trees from the mining area, some of them over 1,000 years old, are being rooted out as of September despite objections from residents.
Limak had previously been accused of destroying forests and wildlife habitats during its work on earlier projects.
When the new stadium was announced, Luton Town FC said it would be "one of the most environmentally friendly stadium builds in the country, perhaps Europe."
But campaigners warned: "Limak should not get away with destroying the green community, nature, ecology and then claim to build an environmentally stadium in Luton."
The club has so far not commented on the allegations.
Story: NewsX