By Mark Baber
June 11 – The saga over Chelsea’s search for a new stadium has taken a new turn, as Jose Mourinho returns, with the revelation that the club may be invited to bid on a 17-acre plot of land, owned by Transport for London (TfL) near Earls Court and just a mile north of current home Stamford Bridge.
The available land, known as the Lillie Bridge Depot, is currently being used as a railway depot and was expected to become part of the Earl’s Court Masterplan redevelopment. However, TfL has said that the sale of this plot of land will be on the open market, opening up the prospect of a bidding war between Roman Abramovich, the Chelsea owner, and Capco, the Masterplan developer.
Stamford Bridge has a capacity of 41,000 which is 20,000 lower than the Emirates and West Ham’s new stadium, and smaller than Tottenham’s new stadium. A new 55,000 capacity stadium would enable Chelsea to raise its matchday revenues, but Stamford Bridge is considered impossible to redevelop due to being bordered by residential housing and a railway line, although it is in an area of extremely high property values.
Previous opportunities to buy a new site have foundered due to a number of factors, including being outbid by developers (in Nine Elms) and also due to the opposition of Hammersmith and Fulham Council which would be required to grant planning permission for a new stadium and who earlier this year said Chelsea had ‘no place’ in Earl’s Court.
Before moving from the ground they have occupied since being founded, the club also need to get the agreement of the Chelsea Pitch Owners, the fan’s group which owns the club’s name and the freehold to Stamford Bridge and which was set up to prevent the ground being sold off to developers.
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