Thanks mate.

Can't wait to hear the rest, cheers for doing this.

 

Thanks. Sorry for the delay in posting other comments about last night but was in a meeting in the Foreign Office. If I've missed anything from the comments below or I realise that something is wrong i'll add or correct. I think Carshalton Blue is going tonight. Would be grateful to see what he or anyone else who goes thinks and if they hear anything to the contrary. Sorry that comments take up a lot of space but wanted to write down as much as possible. Interesting times. Apologies if stuff below has already been covered, haven't read through all the posts.

 

I went to the Bridge last night for the meeting with the consultants about the redevelopment about ground.  It was not only Chelsea fans at the meeting but also local residents with no affiliation with the club. From what I could gather a large number people had attended during the day.

 

It is expected that the redevelopment will take three years. Prior to the work starting there will be a couple of years of planning, approvals etc so if work started now the earliest the new Bridge will be completed will be 2020. Having been involved in a number of office moves and refurbishments over the years I know how long the planning can take.

 

A lot of planning has already taken place and from what we told by one of the consultants that from discussions which have been held with the council and most local residents and businesses are content with the plans. On Monday evening the consultants had a meeting with representatives from the council. Obviously not everyone will be content but it is going to be difficult to please everyone. Last night I heard a resident who lives on the Fulham Road and not from the East Stand complain about the noise from the East Stand and in particular the air-conditioning units. It was pointed out to her that the walls of the new stands will thicker to cushion the noise. On a match day there will always be noise. Given that we’re only play games for less than 10% of the year noise and disruption will be minimal. As for noise and disruption during the re-building there are rules in place about when works can take place.

 

Roman has had several meetings with the consultants and architects and they have highlighted to him the risks etc of the project and he has told them to press on. I think that is a good sign and shows his commitment to the club not only in time but in money.

 

From speaking to one of the consultants it became clear that they did not want to make plans public until they had enough information to give out and have plans in place. To me that indicates they are a long way down the planning route.

 

The Memorial Wall will remain which is excellent news. The remains of the Shed Wall will also remain as it will not get in the way of the re-development. We were told that it will also act as a barrier for those houses between the ground and the Fulham Road.

 

We were told by one consultant that there will be no area for standing in the new ground. That does not come as a complete surprise; however, speaking to another consultant later it is possible that the lower tier of the new Shed End could be built to allow it to be converted into standing. Something to look out for.

 

There will be three tiers in each stand and away fans will be located in the corner of the Shed End near the East Stand i.e. where they are at the moment.

 

The height of the new stadium will be the same as the current one; that is to ensure that views from surrounding buildings are not blocked. Apparently a resident has said that their view of Richmond Park will be spoilt if the height of the stadium is increased. Not sure how that will be the case given that Stamford Bridge is the tallest building in the area. Also building higher will block out more sunlight; one of the concerns of the residents of the Oswald Stoll Home when the new West Stand was built in the nineties. I think it is only right and proper that we cater for our service veterans.

 

As the new Bridge cannot be any higher, the builders will dig down to allow for the third tier. The builders will dig down four metres.

 

Someone on here asked (sorry I can’t remember who) about what was being built at the East Stand and over the railway line. It will be a walkway. There will also be a walkway from the Underground Station to the Matthew Harding Upper. The walkways are to make access and egress easier.

 

The new Stadium will be solely used for Chelsea matches i.e. there will be no other sports played there (remember the ground was used for American Football matches in the nineties) and nor will it be used for concerts: Under the Bridge will go.

 

As for where we play when we move out of Stamford Bridge, Wembley is looking the favourite. When asked that Spurs could have first refusal on Wembley the consultant replied “money talks.”

 

As for prices of tickets when we move back no decision has been made yet. With the increased capacity there will be more seats available for members. At the moment there are only 8,000 seats available to members. Tickets may following the move back to the Bridge be given to residents. There will also be more areas for wheel-chair users and access and egress will be easier.

 

There was a notice at the presentation which stated the average age of Chelsea fans is 50, the oldest of top flight clubs. Hopefully, with the increased capacity there will be an opportunity to reduce prices for youngsters and families.

Cheers Boyne for providing updates and news in regards to what was discussed at the meeting!

It really sounds like this is going to be a reality now! What's fantastic is that the supporters feel a part of this whole process and I have to commend for the club for engaging us on these matters and deeply caring about wanting to have a ground that has character and preserves our traditions in the process.

After much skepticism in the past about this whole issue I'm truly on board with this now and if it means playing at Wembley in the short-term then I think we'll gladly oblige!

Very exciting times are ahead of us!

Edited July 1, 201511 yr by Jezz

Thanks Boyne!

 

I like the idea of playing at Wembley, it's our second home anyway.

Great post Boyne.

It's all sounding hugely positive so far, I'll try not to get too excited just yet but this really does sound amazing.

Cheers for the round up Boyne!

Wonderful post Boyne, thank you for taking the time to type it up and especially ask the question about the wall.

Whatever happens it's exciting times. Roman is clearly as dedicated as ever, we appear to be in very good and sustainable (well, getting there) hands.

Top man, Boyne

There was a notice at the presentation which stated the average age of Chelsea fans is 50, the oldest of top flight clubs.

Boyne thank you for the updates very very interesting !

I thought we had no 'istory yet the average fan age is 50 .....................makes me feel young !!!

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2509664-is-chelseas-roman-abramovich-the-greatest-owner-in-football?

Thanks Boyne - best post and superb news ever.

Thanks boyne

Cheers Boyne, great write up.

Thanks for that Boyne. Great stuff.

Cheers Boyne, great update

Really enjoyed that Boyne; would love to have attended myself so really appreciate the insight. 

The height of the new stadium will be the same as the current one; that is to ensure that views from surrounding buildings are not blocked. Apparently a resident has said that their view of Richmond Park will be spoilt if the height of the stadium is increased. Not sure how that will be the case given that Stamford Bridge is the tallest building in the area. Also building higher will block out more sunlight; one of the concerns of the residents of the Oswald Stoll Home when the new West Stand was built in the nineties. I think it is only right and proper that we cater for our service veterans.

 

Thanks Boyne, brilliant stuff.

 

One thing that caught my eye is the above paragraph. If you look at the sketches of the stands, they are all taller, particularly the West and North stands, which seems to contradict what you were told.

 

Edit: Maybe some sides of the ground will become taller, but none are allowed to exceed the height of the tallest stand that we have currently.

Edited July 1, 201511 yr by Davey Baby

This is all incredibly awesome! Great to see Roman's commitment.

 

Thanks to all that have contributed to this thread with such in-depth information, especially Boyne!

 

Come on you Chelsea!!

Thanks Boyne, brilliant stuff.

 

One thing that caught my eye is the above paragraph. If you look at the sketches of the stands, they are all taller, particularly the West and North stands, which seems to contradict what you were told.

Edit: Maybe some sides of the ground will become taller, but none are allowed to exceed the height of the tallest stand that we have currently.

 

Think your Edit hits the nail on the head, Davey.  A typical planning application jargon that allows expansion without becoming taller.

Thanks Boyne, brilliant stuff.

 

One thing that caught my eye is the above paragraph. If you look at the sketches of the stands, they are all taller, particularly the West and North stands, which seems to contradict what you were told.

 

Edit: Maybe some sides of the ground will become taller, but none are allowed to exceed the height of the tallest stand that we have currently.

Good point Davey, Digging could get around the height "problem" As you say, as long as the new stands don't exceed the current tallest stand. As for digging down, a couple of the guys I went to the presentation with are in the building trade and weren't sure if four metres would be enough. I'm guessing it may be enough, dependent upon the angle of the tiers.

 

All, thanks for all your comments and thanks, much appreciated. Exciting times ahead with the redevelopment.

 

One thing I forgot to mention in my post was I asked about having names engraved on bricks. I think it would be a nice touch and a way of showing fans involvement in the club.

The thing i like about this idea, and i hope it happens, is we don't need an 80k, 90k, or even an 100k stadium. Stamford bridge is nice and compact, so gives that homely feel, all the while being intimidating because of the close proximity to the pitch. If you look at the likes of the Nou camp and Bernabeu, it's like they're just showpieces without having that sense of "home" to them. Don't get me wrong, they're iconic stadiums, but it's always, to me, felt as though these huge stadiums are just for show and nothing else. I hope this new stadium will have that same homely feel to it, because that is what makes SB unique. 

 

 

One thing I forgot to mention in my post was I asked about having names engraved on bricks. I think it would be a nice touch and a way of showing fans involvement in the club.

 

 

Think so too - would be nice to have.

Edited July 2, 201511 yr by nominator

The brick idea is a good one for all......helps raise some funds and leaves a fan his mark on the stadium.

Engraving is probably an expensive process so the brick would have to cost a decent amount I would think.

I went to the consultation last night, ended up having a few pints after hence me only posting now!!

 

I was very impressed with the presentation, the few things i found out are probably not that different to what Boyne has already posted but here goes.

 

I got talking to a few people involved from different aspects of the design, I said to one bloke involved in the design & budget,  if it took 9 years to build the Emirates how comes you reckon it'll only take three years to complete the bridge?

He replied it only took 4 years to build The Emirates, there was 5 years of politics, Chelsea wont have that as they already have the land to build on, Arsenal had to buy up properties around the area.

He said we'll knock down the hotels, bars, shop during the season, the walkways across the railway tracks will also already be in place so its a case of demolition then rebuild, he was adamant as he put it "you'll be in your seats in the new ground in 2020" which makes sense because thats only 5 years away, give it two years for the planning process ect to go through, start building in 2017.

Though as we all know it only takes one person to put a spanner in the works.

 

I asked & had a moan about having three tiers behind the goals & was told they cant do a single tier because it has to be at an angle to make enough leg room & we cant do that because of local residents right for light.

He said the middle tiers will only be for corporate along the wings, behind both goals middle tier tickets will be for general sale(think he meant general public)

 

I said i dont like the fact away fans are going to still be in the shed, our traditional home end, he said its the only place they can go for easy access, he said they will only be in the top tier in the south east corner, basically where they are now, i'm not sure that can be right because Chelsea have a policy(stupid policy) of not having home & away fans above or below each other, so how can Chelsea fans have the middle tier under the away section?

 

I love the historic side to the development but i'm still not sure on the design, maybe when i see some more designs i'll change my mind.

Thanks for the info Carshalton

So is this definitely happening or is there a projected date on when the stadium is likely to be officially green lit?