Mayor of London approves 60,000 seat landmark
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has given Chelsea the all clear to go ahead with its Herzog & de Meuron-designed plans to redevelop its Stamford Bridge home.
The Premier League club had already won approval from Hammersmith & Fulham council in January for the proposals to create a new 60,000-seat stadium – upping Stamford Bridge’s current capacity by almost 50%.
Chelsea is now expected to begin looking for a contractor, with Multiplex, Mace and Sir Robert McAlpine thought to be likely bidders.
Khan said: “London is one of the world’s greatest sporting cities and I’m delighted that we will soon add Chelsea’s new stadium to the already fantastic array of sporting arenas in the capital.
“Having taken a balanced view of the application, I’m satisfied this is a high-quality and spectacular design which will significantly increase capacity within the existing site, as well as ensuring fans can have easy access from nearby transport connections.
“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 decision comes after over a year of scrutiny, which has seen concerns over the scheme’s impact on issues ranging from the local bat population to traffic levels.
Herzog & de Meuron’s proposal will replace Stamford Bridge’s collection of disconnected stands with a single, unified brick-clad stadium, expanding the constrained site by decking over an adjacent railway line.
The practice, which was responsible for the 2008 Beijing Olympics’ “Bird’s Nest” stadium, said its Chelsea design had been inspired by the gothic architecture of Westminster Abbey, which once owned the Stamford Bridge site and the brickwork of Fulham’s terraced streets.
Arcadis is cost manager, WSP and Schlaich Bergermann are providing engineering services, while WSP is also providing transport consultancy, and Aecom is strategic planner. The scheme’s “gothic skin” facade is being engineered by Eckersley O’Callaghan.
Chelsea has previously targeted a 2021 completion date for the stadium.
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