Surrey County Cricket Club is planning a "big, bold and ambitious" £50M ($63.6M) redevelopment of the Oval which will "expand its capacity to 40,000 and make it the biggest cricket ground" in the U.K., according to Nick Hoult of the London TELEGRAPH. Surrey will rebuild the Bedser Stand and Laker-Lock Stand, increasing capacity from the ground's current level of 25,500 in time for the 2023 Ashes Test. Once finished, the Oval will be the "biggest dedicated cricket ground in the world outside India or Australia." Work will begin after the 2019 World Cup and will put the Oval "at the forefront of English cricket as the new Twenty20 league is launched." Surrey Chair Richard Thompson said, "English cricket needs a ground that can hold 40,000-plus supporters. We have shown the demand is there and we would not contemplate this project unless we were confident we can fill this ground." Surrey "already held talks" with the England & Wales Cricket Board and its landlord, the Duchy of Cornwall, and is "confident" it "will not meet any significant planning issues." The Bedser Stand houses the dressing rooms and indoor school but contains "only" 1,800 public seats and will be the first stand to be redeveloped (TELEGRAPH, 6/8).
