Portsmouth Unveils New Stadium Plans
Portsmouth has unveiled plans to move to a new 36,000-seater stadium overlooking the city’s harbour.
If the FA Cup holders receive the necessary planning consent, work will start on the new ground next year.
The new stadium, designed by Swiss-based architects Herzog & de Meuron – the firm responsible for Beijing’s Olympic Stadium, will be on an ex-landfill site by the M275 and M27 motorway junction.
Portsmouth have been based at Fratton Park since 1898 but have outgrown the ground’s 20,200 capacity.
Sellar Property Group, which is handling the development, plans to redevelop the 17-acre Fratton Park site for a mix of low-rise residential and retail usage.
The development would include an indoor exhibition centre/arena with a 10,000 capacity, a new diving training facility for the Royal Navy and a residential, retail and leisure complex.
David Williams, chief executive of Portsmouth City Council, said there were still some issues to be resolved before the plan could be given the green light, including access to the new site and the impact of the new retail developments.
