January 17 – Chelsea’s fear that they might not be able to progress with the £1 billion redevelopment of Stamford Bridge after a local resident objected to the development and refused to cut a deal with the club, have now been overcome.
The local Hammersmith & Fulham Council have passed a resolution that will prevent an injunction brought by the local resident blocking the plans. The local family who live in the nearest house to the ground had objected that expansion to a 60,000 capacity stadium would block light into their home.
The ‘right to light’ property law gives a landowner “the right to receive sunlight through defined openings or gaps in buildings on his or her land.” This can be protected by High Court injunction brought by the landowner.
The council found a work around this by agreeing to acquire land at Stamford Bridge enabling the redevelopment to take place as the family cannot take the council to the High Court and hence ending any possibility of legal challenge.
The council will only do this of the club cannot reach an agreement with the Crosthwaite family who own the house. So far the Crosthwaites have rejected any offers from the club, though their neighbours, who are less impacted by the light issue, have accepted compensation.
Chelsea had planning permission for the redevelopment passed a year ago and more recently the decision was signed off by London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
However, the club have already shifted the expected completion of the new stadium back to 2024 due to various complications in the construction plan that require further planning consents and a complex demolition of the old stadium.
A project team spokesman told a Chelsea fan group before Christmas: “We hope, subject to approvals, to start (work) in the third quarter of 2018 including the museum and health club being demolished, with work on the railway lines starting in 2019.”
Chelsea are understood to still be looking for a replacement home ground while Stamford Bridge is redeveloped though it is looking increasingly likely that Wembley will be the venue. Tottenham Hotspur are currently playing at Wembley but will in their new stadium long before Chelsea will need to temporarily relocate, most likely for the 2020/21 season.
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