English Premier League football club Crystal Palace has submitted its planning application to Croydon Council for the redevelopment of the main stand of its Selhurst Park stadium, with the team having reiterated its plans to assist local residents affected by the project.
Palace unveiled ambitious plans to redevelop Selhurst Park back in December, with the project set to expand the stadium’s capacity from 26,000 to 34,000. The project, if given the green light, is expected to cost between £75m and £100m.
The club has now submitted planning application to the local council. Under the proposals, six houses in Wooderson Close would be lost, five of which are owned by the local authority. Palace has pledged to work with Croydon Council to re-house those affected in equivalent properties in one of the surrounding wards.
The club will pay the re-housing bill and associated costs, and has offered to meet residents individually to discuss any concerns they may have. Six new family homes will also be built. Palace said that it carried out a programme of consultation events and meetings with local stakeholders before submitting its application.
A decision from the planning committee is expected in April. The application will be open for public consultation once validated.
The club’s development manager Guy Wickett said: “We have had excellent engagement on our proposals with more than 400 people coming to view the plans and hundreds more talking to us through the website, fan forums and on social media. Our feedback to date shows that more than 85 per cent of people within the local community support the principle of the redevelopment of the stand.
“We will continue to work with Croydon Council and the local community as the plans progress, addressing any concerns that residents in the immediate area might have. This is a development which will bring significant economic and community benefits to the entire area and is a mark of confidence in Croydon.”
The project, which would take up to three years to complete, is set to reinvent the fan experience at Selhurst Park. A new five-storey stand featuring an all-glass front will be central to the renovation.
The stand will feature a central vaulted arch with Palace’s famous eagle crest. The project is being designed by leading architecture firm KSS, who have previously worked on projects at Anfield, Twickenham and Wimbledon. Palace said the new stand’s roof will be designed to funnel sound down to the pitch and the Arthur Wait Stand opposite.
The stand will remain fully operational while work is being carried out.
Image: Crystal Palace
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