Chelsea have conquered another obstacle in their quest to renovate and upgrade Stamford Bridge. While other hurdles remain, this is a huge step forward.
According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea:
“have been given the green light to proceed with ambitious plans to build an iconic new home with capacity for 60,000 fans at Stamford Bridge. Proposals were officially approved after a unanimous vote by council planners after a three-and-a-half hour committee meeting at Hammersmith Town Hall.”
Chelsea Owner Roman Abramovich is going to get the opportunity to build his massive, state-of-the-art cathedral of football, the new and better Stamford Bridge.
Stamford Bridge was built in 1876, and renovated in 1904 and 1905. The last time the historic venue underwent a facelift was the 1990s. Obviously, it’s due for some upgrades, and the project will dislocate the team for a couple years, and maybe force the club to play their home games elsewhere for up to three seasons.
With an official capacity of 41,798, Stamford Bridge is the eighth largest ground in the Premier League. However, by increasing capacity to 60,000 they’ll be on par with fellow London clubs, and arch-rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur in stadium capacity.
The Club also added, and this is key:
“The committee decision does not mean that work can begin on site. This is just the latest step, although a significant one, that we have to take before we can commence work, including obtaining various other permissions.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, Bold and the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication, appears regularly as a guest on CGTN America, WGN CLTV News and KOZN 1620 The Zone.
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