Lord’s Set For £200m Redevelopment

The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has announced a new ‘Masterplan’ for Lord’s Ground, which will see the venue undergo a £200 million redevelopment beginning in 2014. 

The two-phase plan will include the redevelopment of the Warner Stand in 2014, and conclude with the reconstruction of Tavern, Compton and Edrich stands.

The MCC – who owns the venue – said they wanted to ensure Lord’s remains the ‘finest ground in the world’.

According to Reuters, the first phase of redevelopment is expected to cost £90 million and will be completed in time for the 2019 World Cup. 

The second phase, due for completion by 2024, will see Lord’s capacity rise by 2,700 to 32,000.

MCC president Mike Griffith said in a statement: ‘This Masterplan has cricket at its heart. Every MCC Member cares deeply for our wonderful ground, and we have a duty to ensure any changes made to Lord’s reflect the love we have for cricket, its history and its heritage.’

‘Lord’s is the home of cricket and this masterplan will reinforce the special place the ground has within the game by making it even better for every player and spectator who comes here. This is an incredibly exciting day not just for MCC, but for cricket lovers all over the world.’

The masterplan, devised by the MCC’s Ground Working Party, will also include an extension to the famous pavilion, new entrances and a new ‘food street’ within the grounds, while the museum will also be enlarged.

The MCC, the guardians of cricket’s laws, said they would be submitting an application for planning permission for the redevelopment of the Warner Stand by the end of the year. 

Lord’s has been staging cricket at the current site in north west London since 1814.