Chelsea is close to agreeing terms over the purchase of AFC Wimbledon’s Kingsmeadow stadium "with a deal set to be signed later this month." The Kingston-based ground "is leased" by the club from the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames after it purchased the agreement for £2.4M from Kingstonian FC Owner Rajesh Khosla in '03. To enable the move, the Dons Trust is "looking to raise funds and see the sale of their current home to the reigning Premier League champions as the most suitable option" (London DAILY MIRROR, 9/14). ... The local authority said that Chelsea's early plans for redeveloping Stamford Bridge into a new 60,000-capacity stadium are "generally acceptable." Hammersmith and Fulham Council said that "it is happy with initial proposals, if certain conditions are met." A full planning application "is now expected to be submitted" (BBC, 9/15). ... Romanian government authorities "launched the construction of a new stadium for CS Universitatea Craiova." The build will cost about €50M ($56M), and will "see the Romanian side move to a new stadium with a seating capacity of 30,854." Mayor of Craiova Lia Olguta Vasilescu said, "The construction works on the new stadium will take 14 months and two weeks. This means that, in the second half of next year, it should be ready." Construction works on the facility "are to be carried out by local construction company CON-A" (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 9/15). ... The Royal Institute of British Architects launched a contest for a £49M ($75M) mixed-use development "which could see Tim Ronalds Architects’ 2012 Bunhill Energy Centre relocated." The project will replace the '60s structure "with a new civic complex" featuring a leisure center, enlarged energy center, nursery, health center, sports pitches and up to 124 homes. A spokesperson for Islington Council said, "It has been a long term aspiration of Islington Council to redevelop the St Luke’s Area site, including the current site of the Bunhill Energy Centre, in a more efficient way, with modern sports facilities and new council homes" (ARCHITECTS JOURNAL, 9/15).
