Council planners recommended to approve 60,000 seat landmark at meeeting next week
Premier League pacesetters Chelsea are set to get the go-ahead for Herzog & de Meuron-designed plans to redevelop their Stamford Bridge home, just-published council papers reveal.
The club submitted proposals to create a new 60,000-seat stadium 鈥� upping Stamford Bridge鈥檚 current capacity by almost 50% 鈥� to Hammersmith & Fulham council in November 2015.
After a year of scrutiny, which has seen concerns over the scheme鈥檚 impact on issues ranging from the local bat population to traffic levels, members of the council鈥檚 planning committee are now being recommended to give the authority鈥檚 planning chief delegated powers to approve the project when they meet next week.
Herzog & de Meuron鈥檚 proposal will replace Stamford Bridge鈥檚 collection of disconnected stands with a single, unified brick-clad stadium, expanding the constrained site by decking over an adjacent railway line.
The practice, which was responsible for the 2008 Beijing Olympics鈥� 鈥淏ird鈥檚 Nest鈥� stadium, said its Chelsea design had been inspired by the gothic architecture of Westminster Abbey, which once owned the Stamford Bridge site and the brickwork of Fulham鈥檚 terraced streets.
Arcadis is cost manager, WSP and Schlaich Bergermann are providing engineering services, while WSP is also providing transport consultancy, and Aecom is strategic planner. The scheme鈥檚 鈥済othic skin鈥� facade is being engineered by Eckersley O鈥機allaghan.
In a report to Hammersmith & Fulham鈥檚 January 11 planning applications committee meeting, case officer John Sanchez advises members that Herzog & de Meuron鈥檚 design has 鈥渉as met the demands of a potentially difficult brief鈥� and 鈥渂uilds upon the historic context of previous stadia on the site鈥�.
He continues: 鈥淭he resulting design is a high quality piece of design and a unique architectural solution. It would have the landmark qualities of a significant sporting venue with a clear identity and would declutter and unify the site.鈥�
Sanchez concludes that there will be 鈥渘o significant adverse effects as a result of the proposed development on any of the identified heritage assets, with the exception of the Billings and Brompton Conservation Area鈥�.
The report said government heritage adviser Historic England had observed that the new stadium would complement the setting of the nearby Grade I listed Brompton Cemetery 鈥渢o a greater degree than the present stadium, due to its uniformity and on the understanding that the new stadium is no higher than the existing [structure]鈥�.
Almost 800 local residents gave consultation responses, split across Hammersmith and Fulham and neighbouring Kensington and Chelsea. More than 70% supported the proposals.
If councillors follow the recommendations in the officers鈥� report, delegated powers to approve the development will be subject to the support of London Mayor Sadiq Khan, and a long list of conditions.
Chelsea has previously targeted a 2021 completion date for the stadium.
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