Chelsea’s new £500m stadium gets green light from London mayor

 
Chelsea’s £500m stadium has been given the green light after plans were approved by the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, on Monday.
The club will build on the site of their existing Stamford Bridge ground, increasing the capacity by 18,400 seats to 60,000. Chelsea’s proposal was unanimously agreed by Hammersmith and Fulham council’s planning committee in January.
The stadium has been designed by Herzog & de Meuron – architects of Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena and the Bird’s Nest stadium used to host the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
“London is one of the world’s greatest sporting cities and I’m delighted that we will soon add Chelsea’s new stadium to the already fantastic array of sporting arenas in the capital,” Khan said in a statement.
“Having taken a balanced view of the application, I’m satisfied this is a high-quality and spectacular design which will significantly increase capacity within the existing site, as well as ensuring fans can have easy access from nearby transport connections. I’m confident this new stadium will be a jewel in London’s sporting crown and will attract visitors and football fans from around the world.”
Chelsea said in a statement on their website: “Following a review by the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, we are delighted he has chosen to support the council’s decision. This is the latest significant step toward redevelopment of the stadium and the delivery of the extensive local community programme. Further steps lie ahead, both during and after the planning process, before construction work can commence.”
The ground may be ready for the 2021-22 season. Chelsea will have to leave Stamford Bridge for three years during the redevelopment and could use Wembley Stadium as their temporary home.
Tottenham are set to play their home matches at Wembley next season while their 61,000-seat stadium on the site of White Hart Lane is completed.
The Spurs chairman, Daniel Levy, has kept the door open to delaying that move. According to the minutes of the Tottenham supporters’ trust of its recent meeting with the club’s board: “DL [Levy] insisted all planning is towards playing fixtures at Wembley next season but there is a need to plan for all eventualities should any major issues arise, which would mean another year at White Hart Lane before moving to Wembley for the 2018-19 season. THFC will not move away for two years so all conditions must be right before they make the call to move this summer.”