Cheers Boyne, much appreciated.

I know this is obviously at an early stage but do we think this has a decent change to be approved?

 

Well, as mclovin says, it's going to be a long old road, but we've given ourselves a far better chance than I ever could have imagined, due to some crucial factors ..

 

1. We've involved the local community from the outset, residents, business owners and so on, asking for their feedback and what improvements they would like to see for the surrounding area. Hopefully this helps create a bit of goodwill.

 

2. Egress. A thorny issue where the Bridge is concerned. There's a bridge to the station which takes you directly to the North Stand. Whether this is enough to appease the council remains to be seen. Health and safety will be the real sticking point here. In case of emergency, how do you evacuate 60,000 people. This, plus the relatively small size of the site, pose the big problems regarding expansion. The club obviously feel they've found a solution. Also, crucially, the bridge ensures the extra 20,000 people don't clog up the streets, which will be a real issue for residents, the overriding issue for residents undoubtedly. 

 

3. Design. It looks absolutely stunning, a real architectural landmark. Like all such buildings, it's not going to meet with everybody's approval as everybody has different taste, but it has real architectural merit, and that's the point. It enhances the area from that point of view. It's an ambitious plan, it brings prestige to the neighbourhood, and it gives a nod to the past, which should please the purists and give us a better chance. The architects bring real clout to the table as well as they are the best in the business and nobody is going to assume they could have come up with a better plan, or that they've overlooked some potential issue.

 

4. Council. It's changed hands, as we all know, and they seem more accommodating to the idea of an expansion. Also, planning rules have changed I believe, meaning it is far easier to get things passed than it was before, in the face of objections, which will inevitably arise.

 

The club deserve a lot of credit here, I reckon. Ideally for them they would have moved away, occupied a far bigger site, and had the space to create what they liked that would maximise the revenues they crave. Earls Court and Battersea didn't materialise, for whatever reason, and they were the only two options that may have appeased the CPO, because anything else just wouldn't have felt right, or would have been too far away. The cost of this project will be enormous and the club will struggle to recoup that outlay for a very long time. Furthermore they are hindered on the present site in all sorts of ways and an expansion on this scale didn't look feasible but they seem (to the untrained eye at least) to have pulled something out of the bag, and very impressive it is too.

 

It's what we all wanted, ideally. 60,000 people at the Bridge, in a state of the art stadium that has real identity and character and that does the club justice. The Bridge as it stands now is not up to much, as far as I'm concerned. It lags behind the best stadia in the world by a considerable distance. It's cheap, for want of a better word. That may not be everyone's view but it's mine. Also, it doesn't lend itself to atmosphere, as we all know.

 

Here, the architects have used the restrictions concerning the site to their advantage, and produced something stunning, something different, something classy and something bold. They should be applauded, as should the club for making a real fist of a very difficult task. We need to forget our individual preferences, such as single tier stands and so on, and have faith that the club and the architects have explored every avenue and come up with the best that they can. We have so many obstacles facing us regarding expansion, we have nowhere to move to. We need the project to come off. We all need to be united behind it, in my view. We're going to have enough objections from outside.

 

Roman clearly wants a grand old stage and to create a legacy. Well he's lucky he can afford it.

 

Let's face it, if we all had the same money as him, we'd all want the same thing.

 

Let's hope he gets his wish.

Well, as mclovin says, it's going to be a long old road, but we've given ourselves a far better chance than I ever could have imagined, due to some crucial factors ..

1. We've involved the local community from the outset, residents, business owners and so on, asking for their feedback and what improvements they would like to see for the surrounding area. Hopefully this helps create a bit of goodwill.

2. Egress. A thorny issue where the Bridge is concerned. There's a bridge to the station which takes you directly to the North Stand. Whether this is enough to appease the council remains to be seen. Health and safety will be the real sticking point here. In case of emergency, how do you evacuate 60,000 people. This, plus the relatively small size of the site, pose the big problems regarding expansion. The club obviously feel they've found a solution. Also, crucially, the bridge ensures the extra 20,000 people don't clog up the streets, which will be a real issue for residents, the overriding issue for residents undoubtedly.

3. Design. It looks absolutely stunning, a real architectural landmark. Like all such buildings, it's not going to meet with everybody's approval as everybody has different taste, but it has real architectural merit, and that's the point. It enhances the area from that point of view. It's an ambitious plan, it brings prestige to the neighbourhood, and it gives a nod to the past, which should please the purists and give us a better chance. The architects bring real clout to the table as well as they are the best in the business and nobody is going to assume they could have come up with a better plan, or that they've overlooked some potential issue.

4. Council. It's changed hands, as we all know, and they seem more accommodating to the idea of an expansion. Also, planning rules have changed I believe, meaning it is far easier to get things passed than it was before, in the face of objections, which will inevitably arise.

The club deserve a lot of credit here, I reckon. Ideally for them they would have moved away, occupied a far bigger site, and had the space to create what they liked that would maximise the revenues they crave. Earls Court and Battersea didn't materialise, for whatever reason, and they were the only two options that may have appeased the CPO, because anything else just wouldn't have felt right, or would have been too far away. The cost of this project will be enormous and the club will struggle to recoup that outlay for a very long time. Furthermore they are hindered on the present site in all sorts of ways and an expansion on this scale didn't look feasible but they seem (to the untrained eye at least) to have pulled something out of the bag, and very impressive it is too.

It's what we all wanted, ideally. 60,000 people at the Bridge, in a state of the art stadium that has real identity and character and that does the club justice. The Bridge as it stands now is not up to much, as far as I'm concerned. It lags behind the best stadia in the world by a considerable distance. It's cheap, for want of a better word. That may not be everyone's view but it's mine. Also, it doesn't lend itself to atmosphere, as we all know.

Here, the architects have used the restrictions concerning the site to their advantage, and produced something stunning, something different, something classy and something bold. They should be applauded, as should the club for making a real fist of a very difficult task. We need to forget our individual preferences, such as single tier stands and so on, and have faith that the club and the architects have explored every avenue and come up with the best that they can. We have so many obstacles facing us regarding expansion, we have nowhere to move to. We need the project to come off. We all need to be united behind it, in my view. We're going to have enough objections from outside.

Roman clearly wants a grand old stage and to create a legacy. Well he's lucky he can afford it.

Let's face it, if we all had the same money as him, we'd all want the same thing.

Let's hope he gets his wish.

Thanks for that.

Going by the pictures i have to say i'm not that keen on the design to be honest, maybe it'll come across better in other pictures released in the future.

As someone who loves history i'm glad the club have looked back to look forward so to speak but with all that brick work it reminds me of the Eastern block.

Another thing i dont like is having a middle tier all way around the ground, just like at the Emirates & Wembley, i understand the importance of corporate & the money it brings in but for atmosphere alone we need to have at least one maybe two one tiered ends behind the goal(s).

 

I'm going to the consultation tomorrow hopefully i'll come away with a different opinion, one thing i am pleased about though is at least things are moving albeit slowly to a new bigger stamford bridge.

Haven't we recruited the designers of the allianz arena? I heard this a while ago. It could be the reason why this looks really aesthetically pleasing.

Going by the pictures i have to say i'm not that keen on the design to be honest, maybe it'll come across better in other pictures released in the future.

As someone who loves history i'm glad the club have looked back to look forward so to speak but with all that brick work it reminds me of the Eastern block.

Another thing i dont like is having a middle tier all way around the ground, just like at the Emirates & Wembley, i understand the importance of corporate & the money it brings in but for atmosphere alone we need to have at least one maybe two one tiered ends behind the goal(s).

 

I'm going to the consultation tomorrow hopefully i'll come away with a different opinion, one thing i am pleased about though is at least things are moving albeit slowly to a new bigger stamford bridge.

The Eastern block is more concrete than brick Brick seems to be the choice of architects who have designed some of the newer 'retro' US baseball stadiums, which look really good, like this one in NYC (the NY Mets):

 

I love all the brickwork, I've seen enough glass and panel clad monstrosities in London to last me a lifetime. Let's hope this is a goer as we'll have a rarity on our hands, a distinctive new stadium, love it to bits.

I had hoped for a large single tier for at least one of the ends behind the goals to create a proper 'home end' but unfortunately I fear the middle tier being all corporate is a sad reality of modern football.

 

It really is where the money is made on  match day and quite simply bamboozles the revenue from the match gate of the regular £50/ticket sort of fans.

 

These plans are nothing more than sketched ideas at present though and I am just happy with the direction we are going in which is, as previously noted, not a plastic bowl stadium like the emirates.

I'll get my trowel out.

East stand will be the new daddy ??

One thing I don't quite understand is the fact we have always been told an expansion of this scale was impossible, yet here we are, a bridge to the station, the architects design a ground on the site and voila, suddenly it could be a goer.

 

I thought we were going to have to be a lot more ingenious than we actually are. I thought we were going to have to pull all sorts of rabbits out of the hat but no, it seems relatively simple, though of course it will get more complicated.

 

The club seem to have taken the approach that the most important thing is creating goodwill, with the council, with the residents, with local businesses and with the fans.

 

After all, any of us could have come up with this solution yonks ago, although obviously it wouldn't have looked as good.

 

In regard to single tier stands, which I'm sure the club considered, and maybe still are considering, we have to remember the site is very small (12 acres as opposed to Arsenal's 20 acres for the same proposed capacity) and we are not really allowed to build up, or higher, because we'd be blocking the light, another huge obstacle right there. The club's hands are tied in many ways. To get that many people in they have to build shallow and to get the desired amount of corporates in they have to make allowances for the lack of space, thereby making compromises.

 

As others have said, corporates is where the money is and the club will be competing with the best stadiums in the land, which have the best and the most spacious facilities.

The Eastern block is more concrete than brick Brick seems to be the choice of architects who have designed some of the newer 'retro' US baseball stadiums, which look really good, like this one in NYC (the NY Mets):

 

Maybe its just me mate but i dont like that design either, that to me looks like a railway station!

Have they said anywhere what materials it would be built with? I'm imagining that yellow/cream finish of the current stadium or maybe something that gives it a London Portland stone look - can't see it being built in red brick.

Davey the problem was never being able to build a big enough stadium, it was always about convincing the council we can empty it after a game, and could evacuate it safely if need be. F&h council seem much easier to deal with now a threat of us moving away was real.

Will ask about the Memorial wall Shelly. I know a couple of people who have plaques on it.

Brilliant, I'd appreciate that too as a family friend is up there. Thank you

Davey the problem was never being able to build a big enough stadium, it was always about convincing the council we can empty it after a game, and could evacuate it safely if need be.

 

Yes, that's what I mean. The site is big enough for a stadium but not much else, i.e. no room to walk around and get out, particularly as you can only get out on Fulham Road.

 

Our site is the same size as Arsenal's stadium. They have a further eight or so acres around their stadium, whereas we have practically nothing, and with the hotels being demolished to accommodate a bigger south stand, we're going to have even less space.

 

One thing that struck me about that photo that Backbiter posted, the photographer had to be a fair distance from the ground to take the photo. No such luxury at Stamford Bridge.

Yes, that's what I mean. The site is big enough for a stadium but not much else, i.e. no room to walk around and get out, particularly as you can only get out on Fulham Road.

 

Our site is the same size as Arsenal's stadium. They have a further eight or so acres around their stadium, whereas we have practically nothing, and with the hotels being demolished to accommodate a bigger south stand, we're going to have even less space.

 

One thing that struck me about that photo that Backbiter posted, the photographer had to be a fair distance from the ground to take the photo. No such luxury at Stamford Bridge.

But we gain more space on the ground by building over the railway line behind the east stand, and we also gain space by increasing the building volume, that certainly looks that way looking at those side sections of the stands.

Edited June 30, 201511 yr by coco

This will be the jewel in the crown of the dynasty Roman is building to hand over to his son/s.

 

A legacy that will see our future secured for generations to come........

 

But we will still get the uneducated tools saying "yeah but what if Roman leaves, where will you be then"?

But we gain more space on the ground by building over the railway line behind the east stand, and we also gain space by increasing the building volume, that certainly looks that way looking at those side sections of the stands.

 

I wasn't aware we propose building over the railway line. Also, pardon my ignorance, but what do you mean by the bit in bold? I'm sure it's obvious but I'm being a bit dumb. Are you talking about space inside the stadium or outside?

I wasn't aware we propose building over the railway line. Also, pardon my ignorance, but what do you mean by the bit in bold? I'm sure it's obvious but I'm being a bit dumb. Are you talking about space inside the stadium or outside?

 

Inside we gain more space, sorry for not being clearer, but if you look at those side sections of the stands you can see on the north stand and east stand the railway tracks underneath the back of the stands, it's very faint but can just make the trains out as well.

Edited June 30, 201511 yr by coco

Inside we gain more space, sorry for not being clearer, but if you look at those side sections of the stands you can see on the north stand and east stand the railway tracks underneath the back of the stands, it's very faint but can just make the trains out as well.

 

You are quite right squire. Well spotted. 

 

Obviously this will have to be done with Transport for London's consent.

Brilliant, I'd appreciate that too as a family friend is up there. Thank you

Shelly and Gem (and others), the Memorial Wall will stay which is excellent news. The remains of the old Shed Wall will also stay. More comments etc about last night's meeting with the consultants to follow later. Typing them up at the moment.

Shelly and Gem (and others), the Memorial Wall will stay which is excellent news. The remains of the old Shed Wall will also stay. More comments etc about last night's meeting with the consultants to follow later. Typing them up at the moment.

Thanks mate.

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

Cheers Boyne, my Mum will be chuffed to hear it, as am I.

Well, as mclovin says, it's going to be a long old road, but we've given ourselves a far better chance than I ever could have imagined, due to some crucial factors ..

1. We've involved the local community from the outset, residents, business owners and so on, asking for their feedback and what improvements they would like to see for the surrounding area. Hopefully this helps create a bit of goodwill.

2. Egress. A thorny issue where the Bridge is concerned. There's a bridge to the station which takes you directly to the North Stand. Whether this is enough to appease the council remains to be seen. Health and safety will be the real sticking point here. In case of emergency, how do you evacuate 60,000 people. This, plus the relatively small size of the site, pose the big problems regarding expansion. The club obviously feel they've found a solution. Also, crucially, the bridge ensures the extra 20,000 people don't clog up the streets, which will be a real issue for residents, the overriding issue for residents undoubtedly.

3. Design. It looks absolutely stunning, a real architectural landmark. Like all such buildings, it's not going to meet with everybody's approval as everybody has different taste, but it has real architectural merit, and that's the point. It enhances the area from that point of view. It's an ambitious plan, it brings prestige to the neighbourhood, and it gives a nod to the past, which should please the purists and give us a better chance. The architects bring real clout to the table as well as they are the best in the business and nobody is going to assume they could have come up with a better plan, or that they've overlooked some potential issue.

4. Council. It's changed hands, as we all know, and they seem more accommodating to the idea of an expansion. Also, planning rules have changed I believe, meaning it is far easier to get things passed than it was before, in the face of objections, which will inevitably arise.

The club deserve a lot of credit here, I reckon. Ideally for them they would have moved away, occupied a far bigger site, and had the space to create what they liked that would maximise the revenues they crave. Earls Court and Battersea didn't materialise, for whatever reason, and they were the only two options that may have appeased the CPO, because anything else just wouldn't have felt right, or would have been too far away. The cost of this project will be enormous and the club will struggle to recoup that outlay for a very long time. Furthermore they are hindered on the present site in all sorts of ways and an expansion on this scale didn't look feasible but they seem (to the untrained eye at least) to have pulled something out of the bag, and very impressive it is too.

It's what we all wanted, ideally. 60,000 people at the Bridge, in a state of the art stadium that has real identity and character and that does the club justice. The Bridge as it stands now is not up to much, as far as I'm concerned. It lags behind the best stadia in the world by a considerable distance. It's cheap, for want of a better word. That may not be everyone's view but it's mine. Also, it doesn't lend itself to atmosphere, as we all know.

Here, the architects have used the restrictions concerning the site to their advantage, and produced something stunning, something different, something classy and something bold. They should be applauded, as should the club for making a real fist of a very difficult task. We need to forget our individual preferences, such as single tier stands and so on, and have faith that the club and the architects have explored every avenue and come up with the best that they can. We have so many obstacles facing us regarding expansion, we have nowhere to move to. We need the project to come off. We all need to be united behind it, in my view. We're going to have enough objections from outside.

Roman clearly wants a grand old stage and to create a legacy. Well he's lucky he can afford it.

Let's face it, if we all had the same money as him, we'd all want the same thing.

Let's hope he gets his wish.

You sir deserve a big round of applause for a quality post. Now I don't entirely agree with your current views on the stadium but I do understand where you're coming from nevertheless.

The designs look superb! My wish was always to stay at Stamford Bridge so the fact that it looks very likely we're staying makes me and countless others very happy. It just wouldn't have felt right had we completely relocated elsewhere.