MAYOR OF LONDON APPROVES CHELSEA'S PLANS FOR £500M STADIUM REDEVELOPMENT
CHELSEA’S plan to redevelop Stamford Bridge into a state-of-the-art 60,000-seat stadium have been given the green light.
The £500million plan has been given the go-ahead by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.
The Chelsea Pitch Owners have offered the club a 999-year lease for the site, which was given to them by former owner Ken Bates.
Hammersmith and Fulham council unanimously gave their support to Roman Abramovich’s plans in January.
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| London Mayor Sadiq Khan |
CHELSEA’S plan to redevelop Stamford Bridge into a state-of-the-art 60,000-seat stadium have been given the green light.
The £500million plan has been given the go-ahead by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.
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| Chelsea’s redevelopment of Stamford Bridge will go ahead after the Mayor of London gave them the green light |
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| Roman Abramovich plans to increase the Blues’ stadium from a capacity of 41,600 to 60,000 |
The Chelsea Pitch Owners have offered the club a 999-year lease for the site, which was given to them by former owner Ken Bates.
Hammersmith and Fulham council unanimously gave their support to Roman Abramovich’s plans in January.
The non-profit CPO, set up by Bates and owned by fan shareholders, came into being after financial troubles in the 1980s almost saw the club lose the stadium to property developers.
The freehold to the pitch, turnstiles and Chelsea FC name was later purchased in 1997, with the CPO in-turn granting the club a 199-year lease on the pitch at a tiny rate.
Roman Abramovich had previously attempted to buy the freehold from the CPO in 2011 but was rejected.
However, the CPO earlier this year offered to extend the lease to 999 years to give Abramovich the go-ahead with his plans.
Mayor Khan said: “I’m confident this new stadium will be a jewel in London’s sporting crown and will attract visitors and football fans from around the world.”
The hi-tech stadium – which has been described as an ‘ashtray’, ‘egg slicer’ and ‘slinky’ – is expected to be ready for the 2021-22 season.
The Blues had enquired about whether Twickenham Stadium could be used temporarily but the RFU rejected the move.
Chelsea, like London rivals Tottenham, will play at Wembley Stadium while building work takes place.
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