Chelsea submit new 60,000-seat Stamford Bridge redevelopment plan for approval

Chelsea’s plans for a new stadium (Image courtesy of LBHF)

With Chelsea also looking to expand their stadium and increase matchday revenues, they have submitted an application to demolish and rebuild a new stadium at Stamford Bridge. The club announced the plan to expand the 41,798 seat stadium to a 60,000 capacity venue on their official website.

The application will involve demolishing not only the stadium but also surrounding buildings on the site. The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham (LBHF) will review the plans and the council have reportedly set a deadline of 8 January 2016 for any comments or objections to the plans. The club also stated that the planning process would last beyond the end of the 2015/16 season.

According to the club’s statement, the major changes the redevelopment will see are an increase in stadium capacity to house 60,000 fans and “create an exciting atmosphere”, an “outstanding view” for every fan inside the ground and also access to the Fulham Broadway Station so fans can easily travel to and from the venue.

The club have been at Stamford Bridge for 110 years – since 1905. The last time the ground was redeveloped was two decades ago.

Stamford Bridge in August, 1992 – just before the first ever Premier League season

Chelsea changed plans after new stadium plan was rejected

The Blues had originally looked to move to a new stadium in Battersea Power Station, but the bid to build a stadium there was rejected by the council. The 39-acre site near River Thames in London had 15 bidders and the Premier League club lost out on the bid to a Malaysian company.

The current capacity at Stamford Bridge is not viable in the long run for a big club like Chelsea with top Premier League rivals such as Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City all having stadiums with capacities ranging from 53,000 (Etihad Stadium) to over 75,000 (Old Trafford).

Even Newcastle United’s St. James’ Park has a capacity of over 52,000 while Liverpool’s Anfield will soon have a capacity of close to 54,000 after redevelopment.

Areas in red around Stamford Bridge will also be redeveloped (Image courtesy of LBHF)

10 biggest stadiums in the Premier League

	CLUB	STADIUM	CAPACITY
1	Manchester United	Old Trafford	75.635
2	Arsenal	Emirates Stadium	60,272
3	Manchester City	Etihad Stadium	55,000
4	Newcastle United	St. James’ Park	52,405
5	Sunderland	Stadium of Light	49,000
6	Liverpool	Anfield	45,276
7	Aston Villa	Villa Park	42,682
8	Chelsea	Stamford Bridge	41,798
9	Everton	Goodison Park	39,571
10	Tottenham Hotspur	White Hart Lane	36,284