Stamford Bridge (stadium) - Future

Future

Under Roman Abramovich's control, the club has announced that it wants to extend Stamford Bridge to around 55,000 seats. However, its location in a heavily built-up part of Inner London, near a main road and two railway lines, makes this very difficult. The dispersal of an additional 13,000 fans into the residential roads of the Moore Park Estate, would undoubtedly create congestion and conflict.

Alternative possibilities include moving from Stamford Bridge to a location such as London Olympic Stadium, the Earls Court Exhibition Centre, White City, Battersea Power Station, the Imperial Road Gasworks (off the Kings Road on the Fulham and Chelsea border) and the Chelsea Barracks. But, under the Chelsea Pitch Owners articles of association, the club would relinquish the name 'Chelsea Football Club' should it ever move from Stamford Bridge. On 3 October 2011, the club issued a statement, in which it proposed to buy back the freehold from Chelsea Pitch Owners Plc. This has been widely speculated as the first move by the football club to begin their movement away from the current stadium. On 27 October 2011, Chelsea FC failed in its bid to buy back the freehold, with shareholders of the CPO voting against selling the land. On 4 May 2012, Chelsea FC announced a bid to purchase Battersea Power Station, as part of plans to build a new 60,000-seater stadium on the site. Though they were not the preferred bidders, they released artistic impressions of the proposed stadium at the BPS on 22nd June 2012.