EV Zug (EVZ) and the City of Zug have submitted a planning application for a project that will expand the Swiss National League ice hockey club’s Bossard Arena.
The latest news comes after a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance a venue that first opened in 2010 was struck back in March 2023. EVZ and the City said the planning application phase will take place in two stages in order to meet the concerns of the local neighbourhood in connection with the design and use of the arena square.
After the Grand Municipal Council unanimously approved the development plan amendment in connection with the planned expansion of Bossard Arena in December 2023, the City and EVZ further developed the project and prepared the building application.
There has been one key change to the original plan. A neighbourhood information event held last month saw concerns raised about the future use of the arena plaza and possible additional noise pollution in the area.
“The City of Zug has come to the conclusion that it wants to examine the specific design of the arena square and its future use in more detail over the coming months,” said city councillor Urs Raschle. For reasons of time, this means that the building application will be submitted in two stages, first for the arena extension and secondly for the redesign of the arena square.
The first stage will therefore relate exclusively to the expansion of the arena financed by the EVZ with the building application that has now been submitted. “This includes the extension to the north, the single-storey extension to the south – both of which are the responsibility of the EVZ – and the relocation of Weststrasse, including the greening of the square in front of the arena – for which the City of Zug is responsible,” said EVZ CEO Patrick Lengwiler.
Bossard Arena has a currently capacity of 7,700 seats, which will increase to 9,000 following the expansion project, which has a budget of CHF50m (£44.5m/€53.2m/$58.2m). If a construction permit is granted, work is expected to begin next year with a two-year delivery envisioned.
