New Portsmouth FC Stadium, 36,000
Portsmouth is an island city with a population of around 200,000. Its football club has risen in the Barclaycard Premiership for sometime and is contending for a European spot, its current ground: Fratton Park is well over 100 years old and it shows - its capacity is just over 20,000 and its a poor state. The club was considering rotating its stadium 90 degrees, but has now opted for a far larger project which will be far more likely to be financially viable.
The new stadium would be located on a very large pier, next door to the Historic Dockyard and Gunwharf Quays residential and shopping quarter. The 170m Spinnaker Tower surveys the area. The stadium would be located next door to the 2nd busiest bus interchange in the city, a ferry terminal and the terminus of the Portsmouth Direct Line which connects directly to London (journey of 1hr 30mins).
NEW STADIUM PLANS UNVEILED
Pompey have unveiled the plans for a spectacular new
£600million waterfront football stadium and residential development on reclaimed land in the city's dockyard and at Fratton Park.
The new stadium is being designed by leading international architects,
Herzog and De Meuron. The Swiss-based firm is responsible for both the Beijing National Stadium, which will be the centrepiece of the 2008 Olympic Games, and the Allianz Stadium in Munich.
The stadium is planned to be constructed on a site adjacent to the historic Naval Dockyards, the Gunwharf Quays retail and leisure centre, Portsmouth Harbour Station and ferry terminus and the Hard interchange bus station. It will comprise of approximately 13 acres of land reclaimed from the existing waterfront.
The joint venture between Pompey and Sellar Property Group will create a
superb 36,000 all-seater stadium, over 1 million square feet of waterfront apartments, a 1.5 acre new public space together with a mixture of complementary leisure uses, restaurants and cafes.
Pompey and Sellar have also announced proposals for the redevelopment of the Club's historic 17-acre Fratton Park site, where Pompey have been playing football since 1899. It is anticipated that planning consent for the Fratton Park redevelopment will be secured at the same time as permission is granted for the waterfront development.
A phased development of Fratton Park will create a low to medium-rise scheme in keeping with its environment. The current plans are for approximately 750 homes comprising a mixture of houses, flats and affordable housing units. Part of the site, including the current car park and adjacent land, could be developed while the team continue to play at Fratton Park.
The club and Sellar are forming a joint venture company in which both Fratton Park and the new waterfront development will be held, enabling appropriate development finance to be secured to complete the overall project. It is expected that creation of the residential and commercial elements of both schemes will contribute to the development. It will also generate several thousand jobs during the construction period and many hundreds of permanent jobs post completion.
Planning applications for the proposed development will be submitted in the autumn, following consultation with stakeholders. Subject to receipt of the necessary consents,
reclamation work could get underway by Summer 2008, and construction of the new stadium the following year. It is anticipated that Pompey will be playing in the new stadium by 2011.
Peter Storrie, Pompey's Chief Executive, said: "This will be the most spectacular stadium, set against the backdrop of the harbour and the English Channel befitting the club's history. The club will be playing a big part in the regeneration of the city and our fans will have the very best in terms of facilities and amenities as well as an excellent viewing experience.
"Portsmouth Football Club is moving into a new dawn with the backing of owner Alexandre Gaydamak and these are very exciting times for the club both on and off the field. The new stadium, along with plans for the club's new training ground at Titchfield, is proof of where we want Pompey to be - playing at the highest level and in a stadium that is reflective of a top Premiership side."
The proposed scheme is in the great tradition of English football stadia that have historically formed an integral part of their communities and social urban fabric and the location of the new stadium remains within the city of Portsmouth where more than three-quarters of the club's fan base lives.
The development's sustainability and green credentials are also underlined by the stadium's location which will ensure a majority of supporters arrive by public transport. Apart from parking for club officials, players and VIPs, there will be no public parking as part of the scheme.
Supporters will be encouraged to use local bus, train and ferry services to the stadium and, as part of the proposals, it is intended to create a new covered bus terminus, the roof of which will form the substantial new public space to the front of the stadium. In addition there will be plans to create suitable "park and ride" centres enabling fans to have easy access to the stadium.
The residential element of the waterfront development, comprising approximately
1,500 apartments, will wrap around the eastern, southern and western sides of the stadium. On the southwest waterfront side
the development will rise to 22 storeys reducing to 11 storeys in the northeast corner as it adjusts in scale to take into account the city and the historic dockyards. The sweeping bowl shape of the scheme will, together with the Spinnaker Tower, change the city skyline and continue the regeneration of this part of Portsmouth.
While the scheme aims to reclaim approximately 13 acres from the present harbour, water will continue to play a prominent role as it is intended to replace the small boat moorings facility on the landward side of the development and enhance the wider public realm by including the beach.
It is also planned to create a new dock area to the north of the site enabling HMS Warrior to be re-sited but equally accessible to the public.
Picture taken by myself of the 'aquatic' site from the Summer of 2006.
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