Chelsea has "been given the go-ahead to rebuild Stamford Bridge in plans that would expand the ground’s capacity to 60,000 seats," according to Paul MacInnes of the London GUARDIAN.
A meeting of the planning and development committee of Hammersmith & Fulham council "unanimously approved plans submitted by the club for a new stadium" that would cost at least £500M ($610M) and could be completed in time for the '21-22 season.
In a further vote, the council "agreed to revisit some concerns about the plans, including the ability to park near the ground and construction and demolition plans."
Design of the new stadium "has been led by Swiss architects Herzog & De Meuron, the company responsible for Beijing’s Bird’s Nest" and Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena. Apparently inspired by Westminster Abbey, its exterior will be defined by vast arches, or “brick piers,” made of London stock brick. Chelsea currently has the "seventh biggest ground in the Premier League and the third biggest in London, behind Arsenal and West Ham" (
GUARDIAN, 1/11). In London, Vaishali Bhardwaj reported it means Chelsea can "begin preparations on the new stadium, which is expected to take three years to build during which time the Blues would need to play their games at another location, most likely at Wembley Stadium." An increased capacity "will allow Chelsea to significantly boost their matchday revenue and begin to match top earners Arsenal," which brought in £101M ($123M) in figures published in the 2016 Deloitte Football Money League (
EVENING STANDARD, 1/11).
