Green Light For Kia Oval Expansion

The capacity of the Kia Oval is set to grow to 28,000 after Surrey County Cricket Club was awarded full planning permission for the redevelopment of the Lock Laker Stand.

The project will see a new three-tier stand built in between the Micky Stewart Members’ Pavilion and the Peter May Stand.

Adjacent buildings forming part of a new “One Oval Square” development will also deliver new facilities – including two additional roof terraces – for matchday activations, conferences, events and hospitality.

Construction is set to begin on the project in October 2019, immediately after the conclusion of the cricket season, which will see the Kia Oval host the final Ashes Test, the opening match and four further fixtures in the ICC Cricket World Cup. 

Work will be phased over one and a half years and is due to be completed by the start of the 2021 season.

Surrey CCC chief executive Richard Gould commented: “Receiving planning permission for this new development is fantastic news for the club as we continue to improve all aspects of the Kia Oval. It will add a significant number of extra seats, alongside new facilities to further improve people’s experience when they watch cricket here.

“As evidenced by the thousands of new Members joining our club – and the record-breaking number of Ashes tickets sold to Members in the last ten days, the demand to watch world class cricket at the Kia Oval has never been stronger.

“This development allows us to increase the capacity of the ground to nearly 28,000 – and the One Oval Square development will hugely improve the facilities available for holding Conferences and Events at the ground, a side of our business that has multiplied many times over in recent years and now has the opportunity to move to the next level.”

The new development is the work of Kennington architect Rolfe Judd, which also designed the new Peter May Stand that opened in 2015.