Sports stadium construction plans moving forward

Sports stadium construction projects are moving towards a start on site as the winter sports season comes to a close.

Some range from relatively minor works, such as a £2.5 million extension of Lesser Hampden Park by Scottish League Two side Queen’s Park Football Club. Bids for the construction contract have been received according to Glenigan’s market intelligence and work should start after the culmination of the Scottish football season in May (Glenigan Project ID: 19411225).

Some sports stadium construction projects are so large that a start needs to be made before the season has finished. Preliminary work will begin on March 23 for a £22 million car park and hotel project at Leicester Tiger’s Welford Road Stadium.

Commercial Property Development, a subsidiary of Marshalls, is developing the 3,300 sq m project, with Pick Everard acting as architect (Glenigan Project ID: 09015406).

Leicester Tigers chief executive officer Simon Cohen said: “This is an important project to add to the city centre’s facilities and to support the long-term vision around our stadium. It is exciting to be at the stage now where construction can begin.”

Liverpool rivals

A start on Everton FC’s new £500 million is not expected until the end of the summer. Laing O’Rourke has been appointed preferred bidder for the project, which will provide an entirely new 52,00-seat ground at Regent Road designed by architects MEIS (Glenigan Project ID: 16334343)

“There is still a lot of work to do on this project,” said Everton FC chief executive Professor Denise Bartlett-Baxendale after Laing O’Rourke’s appointment last month (February). “Working alongside colleagues at Laing O’Rourke we will develop our construction programme, while at the same time continuing to engage with our supporters on a number of matters as we await our planning application to be determined by Liverpool City Council.”

Submission of a planning application for the project is expected this spring, when Everton’s rivals Liverpool FC are also expected to file plans for the second phase of a redevelopment of its Anfield Stadium. This £60 million project is unlikely to start until early next year according to Glenigan’s research (Glenigan Project ID: 14211048).

Sports stadium construction in the pipeline

Last month (February), Championship football side Millwall unveiled plans to redevelop its stadium into a 34,000-seat ground (Glenigan Project ID: 18236279). The scheme was being hindered by alternative proposals for the site, but these have now been terminated and architect AFL is busy working on the club’s plans.

AFL Senior Associate Bruce Caldwell said: “The retention of much of the existing stadium structure ensures AFL is aligning our development plans with the Architecture Journal’s RetroFirst campaign, championing reuse in the built environment.”

A host of other projects are also either already in the planning system or still being formulated.

A planning permission has been delayed on Southend United’s new £25 million ground, but work could begin here before the end of the year once a decision has been reached (Glenigan Project ID: 00323747).

West Allerdale Council in Workington is developing plans for an 8,000-seat stadium for the town’s football and rugby league clubs. This plan involves a redevelopment of Borough Park stadium, home to Workington Reds rugby league side, and will form part of a wider regeneration of the Lower Derwent Valley area of the town (Glenigan Project ID: 18408817).

As the winter season closes, sports stadium construction plans are likely to keep on moving through the pipeline.