Brentford Community Stadium
 | |
| Location | Lionel Road, Kew Bridge |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 20,000 |
| Field size | 105 x 68 m |
| Opened | 2018 (projected) |
| Tenants | |
| Brentford F.C. | |
Brentford Community Stadium is a proposed stadium in Kew Bridge, west London with a projected capacity of 20,000. It is planned to be the home of Brentford and possibly London Irish.
Background
In October 2002, following several years of speculation about a possible relocation, the club announced plans to move to a 20,000 capacity stadium near Kew Bridge. This included an ambitious monorail proposal, which was later dropped from the scheme. After several years of uncertainty the project was suddenly brought back to public attention in late 2007 when the club announced that it had secured an option on the site.[1]
This was followed up in February 2008 when a partnership deal with Barratt Homes to develop the site was announced.[2]
The club's plan to move to a new community stadium took a massive step forward when, on 28 June 2012, the club bought the 7.6 acre site in Lionel Road, Brentford, from Barratt Homes who had originally acquired the site in January 2008. The club is planning to build a 20,000 capacity stadium on the land in time for the 2016–17 season, with the option of extending to 25,000 seats. In December 2013 Brentford football club was given approval for the new stadium by Hounslow Council with further approval sought and received from the Mayor of London and the government in early 2014.[3]
Attention then shifted to acquiring the remaining land, required for the enabling development of flats, and completing the development agreement. A CPO was approved for the remaining land in the summer of 2014[4] and although negotiations continued, a number of objections to the CPO resulted in a further hearing in September 2015.[5] The development agreement was signed with Wilmott Dixon in Dec 2014.[6] Depending on the result of the CPO appeal, work on site is hoped to start before the end of 2016, with a likely completion mid-2018. The CPO was approved in April 2016 and the process completed on 1 September 2016.[7]
On 15 August 2016, rugby union club London Irish announced that discussions were ongoing with the borough for a move to the new stadium. Irish currently play in Reading, Berkshire but are hoping to move back to the capital.[8]
Location
It is planned to be located on a 7.6 acres (31,000 m2) site off Lionel Road, and adjacent to Kew Bridge railway station. It stands in the middle of a triangle of railway lines, predominantly used for freight. Hounslow Council has been pushing a proposal for an extension of Crossrail to Hounslow via Kew Bridge, using one of these freight lines. The outline document suggested a station could be built to serve the Lionel Road site. The proposal is unlikely to make it into the first phase of the Crossrail project, but might be a later addition to the route.[9]
References
- ^ "Brentford given new stadium boost". BBC News. 7 December 2007.
- ^ Brentford Football Club And Barratt Homes Team Up To Acquire Land For New Community Stadium | Brentford | News | Latest News | Latest News Archived 25 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Brentford Football Club given Lionel Road stadium go-ahead". BBC News. 6 December 2013. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
- ^ "Compulsory purchase plans approved to secure Brentford stadium site". Get West London. 16 July 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- ^ "Public inquiry over Brentford FC stadium set for September". Get West London. 6 May 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- ^ "Brentford FC and Willmott Dixon sign Development Agreement for Brentford Community Stadium". Brentford FC. 23 December 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- ^ "News | Brentford Community Stadium". Brentford Community Stadium. Brentford FC Ltd. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
- ^ Hyde, Nathan. "London Irish could soon leave Madejski Stadium". Get Reading. Trinity Mirror Southern. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
- ^ A4