A significant revamp of London’s Wembley Stadium will not be completed in time for its staging of the finale of UEFA Euro 2020, in part due to Tottenham Hotspur’s extended stay at the venue.
The plans from architectural firm Dixon Jones to upgrade Olympic Way and the approach to Wembley were approved by Brent Council in September. Developer Quintain’s plans to transform the final section of Olympic Way proposes to replace the existing 176m pedestrian walkway leading up to the stadium concourse with a set of “iconic steps”.
The plans will see the entrance to the stadium dramatically transformed from the current ramp system installed in 1974 into a set of modern steps surrounded by a landscaped piazza. Disabled access to the stadium will be improved with the introduction of four new lifts – in addition to those already in place.
Wembley is due to host the semi-finals and final of Euro 2020, a special edition of the national team football tournament that will be staged in 12 cities across the continent. Work on the new approach to Wembley was expected to be complete for the tournament, however UK newspaper The Times reports that this will no longer be the case.
This is said to be because Premier League club Tottenham has played at Wembley for six months longer than originally intended, due to delays in the delivery of its new stadium, while The Times said there have also been issues over planning and the complexity of the building project.
Quintain is eyeing the potential for further commercial opportunities from the plan, but it requires that Wembley is closed for up to three months to allow work to be completed.
A spokeswoman for Quintain said: “We reviewed the construction and delivery programme for the steps, alongside the events now scheduled at Wembley during 2019 and beyond, and we anticipate that the construction works will conclude after the European Championships in 2020.”
Image: Dixon Jones
