The land is only to be used for sport (presumably just a covenant). It's not about the facility, it's really about planning permission. If the council can say no to houses and shops, then what else can the owners do with it.
This really should be the case for all grounds in the country. You...
You are definitely not too cynical (I think that's an oxymoron anyway).
But I see it as the job of the fans to make sure the future of that land is a voting issue for local politicians. They should make it so that it is never used for anything but sports, so if the club start again, and can't...