Chelsea submit new 60,000-seat stadium plans | don't cross the Crosthwaites

[Sir A1ex]

Probably already a thread on this from ages ago, but I can't find it. Anyway, they've submitted planning application... time we revisited expanding OT, with other clubs all getting closer to our capacity?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34974544

Chelsea submit new 60,000-seat stadium plans

Chelsea have submitted a planning application to build a new 60,000-seat stadium at Stamford Bridge.

The application, which involves the demolition of the 41,600-seat stadium and other buildings currently on the site, will be examined by the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.

The council have set a deadline for comments on the application of Friday, 8 January 2016.

The club say that the planning process will last beyond the end of the season.

In a statement on their official club website, Chelsea said that the new stadium would see "facilities improved for every area" and offer an "outstanding view" from every seat in an arena "designed to create an exciting atmosphere".

A view of Stamford Bridge as it was prior to redevelopment in the 1990s

The new stadium involves both excavation works and the construction of new external concourse areas, including the formation of decking platforms over part of the District Line and part of the Southern mainline railway.

Chelsea have played at Stamford Bridge since 1905, and the ground was last redeveloped in the 1990s.

However, its current capacity of about 42,000 is significantly smaller than the stadia of Premier League rivals Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City, whose grounds hold 76,000, 60,000 and 55,000 respectively.

Blues owner Roman Abramovich had initially considered seeking a permanent new home, with the club describing the option of expanding Stamford Bridge as "not feasible or viable" in 2012.

But the club decided to redevelop its current ground because of a lack of suitable sites available in London - having had a bid to build an "iconic" new stadium in Battersea Power Station rejected.

 

[Raw]

I doubt we'll be expanding OT any time in the near future. Would be nice to break 80k though.

Does seem like a lot of PL teams seem to be going through some stadium changes/expansions.

 

[Mr Pigeon]

As long as the railway and nearby yard entrance is that that angle we're going to have a problem - am I right in thinking that?

 

[Adisa]

Haven't the club ruled our expanding OT any time soon cause of the train tracks behind the stand?

 

[Annihilate Now!]

 

[Sir A1ex]

As long as the railway and nearby yard entrance is that that angle we're going to have a problem - am I right in thinking that?

A problem, but far from an insurmountable one.

 

[Annihilate Now!]

Looks like a giant Slinky...

 

[Sir A1ex]

Bet they end up building something much more normal looking than those pictures, btw. Architects getting carried away there...

 

[Mr Pigeon]

A problem, but far from an insurmountable one.

We can build a mini park-and-ride system. Get off the train at one side, go down a waterslide, Fergie Hairdryer Experience to get rid of the water, and hop back on a train.

 

[Sir A1ex]

We can build a mini park-and-ride system. Get off the train at one side, go down a waterslide, Fergie Hairdryer Experience to get rid of the water, and hop back on a train.

Yes, this is the obvious practical solution. But there may be other more reative ways of addressing the issue in this day and age.

 

[Crustanoid]

They're going to have to try and entice some fans back from City to fill that....

But how will City then populate their stadium???

 

[Di Maria's angel]

They're going to have to try and entice some fans back from City to fill that....

But how will City then populate their stadium???

Employ more fans?

 

[RedSky]

Bet they end up building something much more normal looking than those pictures, btw. Architects getting carried away there...

Hope they don't. I love that design.

 

[Brophs]

Nice to see they modelled it on a massive orange juicer.

 

[Ballache]

Where will they play in the meantime? Or will they rebuild it over summer? That design looks really nice IMO.

 

[Crustanoid]

Employ more fans?

I was thinking about this - with the money these people have they could literally create professional fans to elude FFP sanctions etc. - it would look far less suss than the 'deals' they seem to conjure up. All you would have to do is send these rentafans on crash courses. For City you would just put them in a room in front of a computer and get them to type 'rag' 1000000 times every day and fake a smalltime mentality and educate them about the virtues of Stockport. For Chelsea you just dump a lifetime supply of celery on their door.

 

[sun_tzu]

A problem, but far from an insurmountable one.

hummm do you know how much it costs to move and re-engineer rail lines - let alone the environmental assesments (including complusary purchase and moving people) that come with it and the safety risk assesments of having to either have a fairly aggressive curve in the line - or move miles of track... or tunneling which would be astronomical... I do and I would suggest its a non starter and we would be better off selling what we have and finding a site thats not compromised by train tracks!

 

[sun_tzu]

As long as the railway and nearby yard entrance is that that angle we're going to have a problem - am I right in thinking that?

There is nowhere to move them to... certainly not in any cost effective way for a few thousand extra seats

 

[The Purley King]

Love that design for Stamford Bridge, hope they go ahead and build it exactly like that.

 

[Scorpy]

Will they be able to fill it in the Championship though?

 

[Rado_N]

I like how most of the discussion in here is about OT and not the Chelsea expansion

 

[horsechoker]

There is nowhere to move them to... certainly not in any cost effective way for a few thousand extra seats

Why don't we just move the entire stadium a bit further from the railway so we have space to expand, its already built so all you have to do is attach it to a crane, it only needs to be moved a few meters away.

 

[Mr Pigeon]

Why don't we just move the entire stadium a bit further from the railway so we have space to expand, its already built so all you have to do is attach it to a crane, it only needs to be moved a few meters away.

You're clearly not thinking straight. When we move the stadium in a one-er the pitch will be left where it is. Do you know how impossible it is to build grass?

 

[Adam-Utd]

There is nowhere to move them to... certainly not in any cost effective way for a few thousand extra seats

Would probably be easier to make it an underground tunnel like they have at another famous ground (cant remember which) then could build the stand over the top. Either way it probably isn't worth it for 15k more fans.

 

[horsechoker]

You're clearly not thinking straight. When we move the stadium in a one-er the pitch will be left where it is. Do you know how impossible it is to build grass?

The pitch is inside the stadium so it will move when the stadiums moved, honestly some people

I have a degree in structural engineering and know what I'm talking about.

*Parts of this post may not be true

 

[711]

There is nowhere to move them to... certainly not in any cost effective way for a few thousand extra seats

You would lower the line somewhat and then build over it, similar to Birmingham New St. No need to move the sidings. Expensive but not impossible.

If the club ever had intention to do that though, they would have been purchasing the houses on the other side in the same way Liverpool did, well in a fairer way hopefully, but they haven't of course.

If we're in pie-in-the-sky land I'd prefer a new stadium to be honest, I've never liked the North 3rd being hidden up in the roof there, it means we don't look our size, if that makes sense.

I have a completely irrelevant degree, the content of which is now completely forgotten.

 

[Rafateria]

Cracking looking new Chelsea stadium, hope they build it. The petty snide (or unfunny) remarks by some not really showing any maturity at all.

 

[sun_tzu]

You would lower the line somewhat and then build over it, similar to Birmingham New St. No need to move the sidings. Expensive but not impossible.

If the club ever had intention to do that though, they would have been purchasing the houses on the other side in the same way Liverpool did, well in a fairer way hopefully, but they haven't of course.

If we're in pie-in-the-sky land I'd prefer a new stadium to be honest, I've never liked the North 3rd being hidden up in the roof there, it means we don't look our size, if that makes sense.

I have a completely irrelevant degree, the content of which is now completely forgotten.

not sure its that easy actually...
newtork rail would want quite a lot of headroom incase of future electrifications etc so you need to be quite deep - yet you need to be at the surface for the sidings - also the incline slope for trains has to be pretty low to maintain the speed so you are probably having to lower all the way to the a56 crossings - which would probably involve redoing the foundations on the over roads - it aint straight forward... and its certainly not cost effective for the extra capacity otherwise we would have done it by now

 

[Barca84]

Cracking looking new Chelsea stadium, hope they build it. The petty snide (or unfunny) remarks by some not really showing any maturity at all.

Agreed.

I think one Premier League club with a lot of empty blue seats is enough really.

 

[Barca84]

There is nowhere to move them to... certainly not in any cost effective way for a few thousand extra seats

Could we put the disabled section on those railway tracks?

That's a joke by the way

 

[Rafateria]

Could we put the disabled section on those railway tracks?

That's a joke by the way

I'm sure that sounded funny in your head. It's not, even in jest.

 

[SirAF]

The pitch is inside the stadium so it will move when the stadiums moved, honestly some people

I have a degree in structural engineering and know what I'm talking about.

*Parts of this post may not be true

 

[Sir A1ex]

hummm do you know how much it costs to move and re-engineer rail lines - let alone the environmental assesments (including complusary purchase and moving people) that come with it and the safety risk assesments of having to either have a fairly aggressive curve in the line - or move miles of track... or tunneling which would be astronomical... I do and I would suggest its a non starter and we would be better off selling what we have and finding a site thats not compromised by train tracks!

It's been discussed on here ad infinitum. Various examples of similar projects working over rail lines have been cited, and regarding the compulsory purchase, I think it's been said that we've already been buying up large numbers of the houses on railway road.

It's far from impossible. However, you are right that it would be significantly more exmpensive than it would be otherwise, and it could be enough to make them decide that a brand new stadium is a better investment.

TBH, I've always been vehemently opposed to us leaving Old Trafford, but these days the atmosphere is so shit anyway I'm not sure I'd be quite do bothered. If they ever allowed safe standing, and a new ground was designed to optimise the supporter experience and noise levels, I'd probbaly be in favour of it in fact.

 

[Sir A1ex]

Where will they play in the meantime? Or will they rebuild it over summer?

That would be some achievement!

One of Twickenham or Wembley, I'm guessing.

 

[Sir A1ex]

The petty snide (or unfunny) remarks by some not really showing any maturity at all.

I'm sure that sounded funny in your head. It's not, even in jest.

You really are the voice of reason and maturity in this thread. Well done you.

 

[Barca84]

I'm sure that sounded funny in your head. It's not, even in jest.

Okay okay.

let's just restrict it to visiting scousers?

 

[711]

not sure its that easy actually...
newtork rail would want quite a lot of headroom incase of future electrifications etc so you need to be quite deep - yet you need to be at the surface for the sidings - also the incline slope for trains has to be pretty low to maintain the speed so you are probably having to lower all the way to the a56 crossings - which would probably involve redoing the foundations on the over roads - it aint straight forward... and its certainly not cost effective for the extra capacity otherwise we would have done it by now

I'm not expecting it. I don't think you would have to lower the track much though, if at all, it's already in a cutting that you have to climb out of to get to stadium level, you would just have the ground floor of the rear half of a new stand a few steps up from pitch level.

 

[Sir A1ex]

not sure its that easy actually...
newtork rail would want quite a lot of headroom incase of future electrifications etc so you need to be quite deep - yet you need to be at the surface for the sidings - also the incline slope for trains has to be pretty low to maintain the speed so you are probably having to lower all the way to the a56 crossings - which would probably involve redoing the foundations on the over roads - it aint straight forward... and its certainly not cost effective for the extra capacity otherwise we would have done it by now

I'm not sure headroom would be a problem - we're talking about 2nd/3rd tiers here, which can be suspended way above the tracks. You don't need much structural in the void beneath, it's normally just filled with other stuff because it would be wasted space otherwise.

Worst comes to the worst I say we go with something like this:

 

[711]

Night matches would be great, we could turn the floodlights off when a train went through. Dirty old town, dirty old town!

 

[sun_tzu]

It's been discussed on here ad infinitum. Various examples of similar projects working over rail lines have been cited, and regarding the compulsory purchase, I think it's been said that we've already been buying up large numbers of the houses on railway road.

It's far from impossible. However, you are right that it would be significantly more exmpensive than it would be otherwise, and it could be enough to make them decide that a brand new stadium is a better investment.

TBH, I've always been vehemently opposed to us leaving Old Trafford, but these days the atmosphere is so shit anyway I'm not sure I'd be quite do bothered. If they ever allowed safe standing, and a new ground was designed to optimise the supporter experience and noise levels, I'd probbaly be in favour of it in fact.

true... if they are going to do it I suspect its going to need to at 30k seats or something similar to make it viable
The other issue with going over the tracks is planning consent once you start building a structure that high that close to peoples houses - perhaps a compulsary purchase - though liverpool couldn't get one could they? - and it took spurs years... a few reluctant sellers and it becomes more and more difficult.

I think its more likely we expand the other three sides again before we expand there - just from a cost point of view