Barnet Announce Plans To Build New Stadium, Ending “Ten Year Exile”
Underhill Stadium had been Barnet’s home since 1907, until the beginning of the 2013–14 season when the Club relocated to play their home games at The Hive Stadium.
Although the Club’s initial three‑year tenure at The Hive was extended indefinitely by Harrow Council, their chairman always felt that Barnet FC should return to the home from where it took its identity.
Mr Kleanthous said in a statement: “During the long months of Covid, I busied myself with trying to find a way to bring the Club back home and met with Barnet Council to ask for their support in locating a suitable site on which I could build a new stadium. I undertook to fund the full cost of construction so that we could progress without any funding delays.
“After months of searching, it became clear that the best site was the one we originally identified at South Underhill and so we asked our architect to revisit these proposals. This new scheme is a redesigned slimmed down version of our original planning application at the South Underhill site and accounts for the existing layouts and usages in place with the new school and their needs at the forefront of the project.”
Along with the smaller 6,000 – 8,000 capacity stadium, there are two Multi Use Games Areas, a circulation and recreational zone for pupils, a formal pitch for training and playing purposes on Barnet Playing Fields, and a school drop‑off zone for pupils which will help alleviate the morning rush hour traffic problems in the area.
Barnet FC have instructed WSP Planning Consultancy to commence the pre‑application process. Sean McGrath from WSP will be heading the project and engaging directly with Barnet Council and their Planning Officers in the pre‑planning process in order to finalise an application.
The Club expect to be able to issue a progress update at the end of the month.
Images Credit: Barnet Football Club.
