English Premier League football Crystal Palace was yesterday (Thursday) given permission to go ahead with the redevelopment of its Selhurst Park stadium by Croydon Council.
The club first revealed plans to increase Selhurst Park’s capacity from 26,000 to 34,000 back in December, with the redevelopment of the stadium’s Main Stand central to the project.
The project is expected to cost between £75m and £100m and is designed to transform the match-day experience at Selhurst Park. Palace says the project will generate more than £15m a year for the local economy and create hundreds of new jobs.
Councillors on the planning committee have now voted unanimously in favour of the development, which has received around 4,500 public expressions of support. Talks will now continue between the club and the council over the terms of Palace’s Section 106 obligations to fund transport and community initiatives.
The project will also be referred to the application of Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, whose approval will enable planning permission to be issued.
It is hoped that work on the project will begin at the end of the 2018-19 season, with a completion date having been set for 2021. The existing Main Stand will remain fully operational throughout the process.
Palace chairman Steve Parish said: “This project will not only transform the stadium, which has been our home since 1924, but it will also have a positive impact on the south London community. I wish to thank the lead officer and the councillors for their support tonight, and for all the hard work that has been put in by the council over the last few months to ensure this application was heard so quickly.
“I want to thank everyone who voiced support and those connected to the club who worked so hard over the last few months towards this very important step in the dream of a new Crystal Palace for Crystal Palace.”
The new stand will feature five storeys and an all-glass front – a tribute to the club’s early days when it was based in the shadows of the original Crystal Palace on Sydenham Hill. The stand’s capacity will increase from around 5,400 to 13,500, including more than 10,700 general admission seats.
Improved facilities will be provided for disabled supporters, with substantially more wheelchair spaces to be added. Selhurst Park’s pitch will also be increased from 101.5m x 68m to 105m x 68m, bringing it in line with UEFA regulations and making it eligible to host tournament football.
Other improvements will include premium hospitality and entertainment facilities, a Tunnel Club, a museum, community facilities and improved sightlines in the Arthur Wait Stand with the removal of the TV gantry.
Image: Crystal Palace
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