Chelsea Owners Considering 'Knocking Down Stamford Bridge' For New £1.5bn Project
Chelsea owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali are reportedly working towards a £1.5billion stadium project which may result in Stamford Bridge being knocked down. Stamford Bridge is the oldest stadium in the Premier League having opened back in 1877, with Chelsea moving in when they were formed in 1905 and it looks increasingly likely that the ground may be demolished in the very near future.
It's claimed the two Chelsea controlling owners are keen to have their club playing in one of the best stadiums in Europe. And the report points out that knocking down Stamford Bridge and building a brand new ground is the 'most likely option'. No final decision has been made, but it's said that they're hopeful of 2030 being a possible move-in date. Chelsea board member Jonathan Goldstein is said to be in charge of the project along with Janet Marie Smith, who is the executive vice president of planning and development for the LA Dodgers.
They're reportedly waiting to discover whether a £50million bid to buy a 1.2 acre plot of land next to Stamford Bridge has been successful. It's suggested that by buying the extra land, it would help increase space for 'fan parks and offices' as well as the new state-of-the-art stadium. The 1.2 acre stretch of land currently belongs to housing association Stoll, and it remains unclear whether Chelsea will be successful with their proposed bid. CPO chair Chris Isitt said: “The CPO is having positive talks with the club about redevelopment. We understand this is a complicated project which needs careful consideration, but we share the common aim, which is to have the best stadium in London.”
Former club owner Roman Abramovich had originally sought planning permission to build a new stadium for Chelsea back in 2017. Plans for a new 60,000-seater stadium had been drawn up, but they were halted a little over a year later with the club citing “unfavourable economic conditions” and it was confirmed in March 2020 that the club's planning permission to redevelop Stamford Bridge had expired. But the main concern surrounding knocking down Stamford Bridge to build a new one for current owners would be finding a temporary ground.
The report indicates the entire project would take at least five years to complete, meaning Chelsea would need another ground suitable to house their fans for a period of time. Tottenham used Wembley while their new stadium was being built, but the prospect of Chelsea following suit is said to be a 'terrifying prospect'. Groundsharing with local rivals Fulham, the closest Premier League ground to Stamford Bridge, is also named as a possibility, but Craven Cottage has almost half the capacity of Chelsea's current stadium so this is unlikely to sit well with the fans.
Transforming the current ground would no doubt be extremely costly in itself considering the area and that groundworks would be expected to have to dig significantly to enable further construction.
