John William
Well-known Exeweb poster
The Lib Dems on the council did indeed oppose the idea from the outset (2014) as did Vince Cable but it wasn't going to be their decision, it would have been called in. They publicly thanked the RFU for turning Chelsea down as this saved them the expense and hassle of opposing any application.Richmond had already told them they didn't stand a chance of being given a licence some time before that.
Personally I doubt if this was ever a realistic runner, maybe it was just a tactic to make Wembley happen?