English Premier League soccer side Chelsea FC has released a public statement to update fans on the status of their plans for a new stadium.
In 2018, the London-based club revealed design plans to redevelop and expand Stamford Bridge, its 41,631-capacity stadium, which is far smaller than other league rivals.
However, despite being given permission to build a new 60,000-seater stadium on the current site of Stamford Bridge the plans were put on due to the club citing an “unfavorable investment climate”.
Chelsea FC has released a statement to clarify the club’s position on the project
“Chelsea FC is aware of the media speculation relating to the new stadium, however can confirm that the Club’s position remains unchanged since May 2018. The stadium project has been put on hold due to the current unfavorable investment climate. There is no time frame set for reconsidering this position, but when we do, all relevant parties including the CPO and fans will be informed.”
The initial project, which would involve demolishing Stamford Bridge and rebuilding on the site was slated to cost between £500m-£1bn (US$647m-US$1.3bn) and when the club’s owner Roman Abramovich was denied some public funding for the build, he revoked the plans.
However, with the Hammersmith & Fulhan Council already giving the green light for the build, the club still has time to start the build before needing to resubmit plans.
The issue remains that should the club go ahead with the new stadium build, they would have to relocate home games for several seasons. Tottenham Hotspur recently did this by moving to Wembley Stadium, however due to the complications and delays involved with that build it remains to be seen whether the English Football Association would be as willing to accept another tenant again anytime soon.
