April 13 – Premier League Crystal Palace are edging towards a £100 million redevelopment of the main stand of the Selhurst Park stadium with local planning officers recommending the build should be allowed.
Palace want to expand their capacity from 26,000 to more than 34,000. This season the club have on a number of occasions exceeded the official capacity of Selhurst Park.
The plans go before the local authority planning council for voting next week. If passed the club will start work at the end of next season with completion for the start of the 2021/22 season. If they aren’t passed then the stadium is unlikely to get another chance of approval before 2022.
As part of the planning permission, if granted, is the requirement to re-house residents in six homes. The club must also spend £300,000 on infrastructure around the ground, particularly to improve access to local railway stations, footpaths and cycle routes.
Part of the funding for the build would come from selling the naming rights to the stadium.
“This planning application underpins the ability of Crystal Palace FC to improve both on and off the pitch, to be dynamic as it responds to the challenges and opportunities of being an established Premier League member, with the infrastructure both to build on success but also to be resilient should relegation occur,” said the planning submission from the club.
Chairman Steve Parish confirmed that the commitment to the redevelopment was not contingent on remaining in the Premier League. Palace are currently one place above the relegation zone.
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