Chelsea is well on the way to beginning a massive redevelopment of Stamford Bridge. However, that plan has been delayed even further thanks to the unique (read: extremely inconvenient) location of the stadium.
The designs for Chelsea’s new home have been approved, reapproved, and re-reapproved by the powers that be. But things like the railways that run up against the stadium as well as some of the real estate around the stadium that will be overtaken by the expansion have created new delays.
The latest estimates predict the project to be completed by 2024, which is somewhat disheartening given that the team was originally supposed to return to Stamford Bridge ahead of the 2021/22 season. Instead, play likely will continue at Stamford Bridge through the 2019/20 season, with Chelsea then forced to find a temporary home for the following four seasons.
This news is… not ideal. Ever since the club’s attempt to relocate to the Battersea Power Station failed in 2011, a redevelopment of Stamford Bridge seemedthe only real option for creating a stadium that could rival those of Arsenal, West Ham, and (starting next season) Tottenham in capacity and modernity. While basically everyone agrees that the designs for the new stadium are incredible, it remains a really difficult undertaking, and not only from a construction point of view.
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This is a £500 million project (for now)*, and Chelsea is still vague on how it intends to fund it. The Mail suggests Roman Abramovich is seeking “Far East” commercial deals and sponsorships. That’s a fairly important part of the puzzle that the club needs to figure out out sooner rather than later. Get ready for the Alibaba Stamford Bridge Stadium.
The main geographical issues involve the two railways that run up against the north and east sides of the stadium. The plan is to build large walkways over the tracks to deal with the increased crowds on matchdays. The club has stated it will be one of the first things to be worked on, since it will not interfere with the stadium and the ability to play matches there. If this first hurdle can be easily dealt with, it will bode well for the rest of the project. That’s a big “if.”
The ironic truth is that every new piece of news surrounding the project means that the plan is actively being worked on and is progressing in some way. The real trouble will arise if there are long periods of silence.
Some of the other good omens are London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s approval of the project, and the consistent information regarding the actual design and specs of the new stadium. This indicates a certain degree of understanding and finality between all of the invested parties. Not counting small incidental changes, what we see now is what the stadium will look like.
There are two main takeaways here: construction is hard, and construction is expensive. Neither of those are big surprises, but the club seems to be actively working on making this happen. Once construction begins – eventually – Stamford Bridge will emerge bigger and better than ever.
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