In December 2003 there were a series of linked agreements and contracts follwoing the Council meeting that October. The effect of these was that the Arena was built. CCFC sold its share in ACL to the Higgs Charity for £6.5m. The parties signed the development agreement that allowed the contracts with Laing O'Rourke to be signed. ACL signed an agreement to lease. There have been many estimates as to the value of the Arena. There is often a muddle. There are two different things: the land and building and the lease of that building and land. The freehold is owned by the City Council and the lease is owned by ACL. The loan taken out by ACL was to pay a lease premium, in other words an advance payment on the rent which is paid by any leaseholder. That payment, of course helped the City Council meet the construction cost of the Arena.
I am afraid that Fletcher didn't "do" detail but just sold big pictures and so his memory is often faulty, and of course, he wasn't actually involved in any of this.