League Championship side Queens Park Rangers unveiled plans for a 40,000-seat stadium as part of a major regeneration project in the Old Oak area of West London. The announcement follows London Mayor Boris Johnson's statement that turning the Old Oak neighborhood into a new world-class city quarter is one of his main regeneration priorities and that a Mayoral Development Corporation is to be set up to promote it. The club hopes the stadium will be the catalyst that will eventually bring about the creation of a residential and commercial area covering several hundreds of acres, ultimately generating 50,000 jobs and 24,000 homes. QPR Chair Tony Fernandes said, "Loftus Road is -- and always will be -- a special place for the club and our supporters, but we need more than an 18,000 capacity. With no option of expanding here, we have to look elsewhere and we welcome the Mayor’s and Hammersmith & Fulham Council’s commitment to regenerate the area, which includes an option to develop a new stadium at Old Oak as a key catalyst to bring forward redevelopment, cementing our future in this part of West London" (QPR).
