There is no plan for Chelsea to relocate to a new stadium on the former Earl’s Court Exhibition Centre site, according to the company managing a multi-billion pound redevelopment project on the land.
A media report on Tuesday claimed Chelsea have held talks with real estate developers Delancey, who own the 40-acre site in south west London, and Transport for London as they explore the possibility of moving the club away from its historic Stamford Bridge home.
The Earl’s Court Development Company (ECDC) intends to present its masterplan for a mixed use development that would include the construction of 4,000 new homes, extensive retail and office space, three large cultural and performance venues and an urban park to Hammersmith and Fulham council and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council next week.
“There is no plan within our plans for Chelsea FC to relocate to the Earl’s Court site,” ECDC said in a statement.
“We have a fully detailed design, shortly to be registered with both local authorities, which prioritises the delivery of thousands of homes and jobs, culture and open space through a well-designed and considered masterplan which has evolved over four years of engagement.
“This will see development commence in 2026 with the first residents and occupiers moving in from 2030. This is, and will remain, our primary focus.”
Should planning permission be granted to ECDC’s proposed development, Chelsea’s path to building a new stadium on the Earl’s Court land – the most logical alternative to revamping or rebuilding Stamford Bridge – would become more complicated, with no other obvious sites available in London’s crowded southwest corridor.
Chelsea’s management team, led by president and chief operating officer Jason Gannon, are still assessing all options, and have not committed to building a new stadium at Stamford Bridge despite finalising a land deal to purchase the 1.2-acre Sir Oswald Stoll Mansions site adjacent to the ground from Stoll Veterans Housing Charity in November.
Any deal to purchase the Earl’s Court site from Delancey would be expensive before the costs associated with building a new stadium are factored in.
A permanent move away from Stamford Bridge must also be approved by a 76 per cent majority of Chelsea Pitch Owners (CPO) shareholders, the supporter group who own the freehold to the land on which the current stadium sits as well as the name ‘Chelsea Football Club’.
Chelsea’s attempts to move forward with a firm stadium plan could also be hampered by the breakdown in relations between majority shareholder Clearlake Capital and co-controlling owner Todd Boehly, with both sides exploring options to buy out the other.
(Bradley Collyer/PA Images via Getty Images)
