Selhurst Park redevelopment receives planning approval

The redevelopment of the main stand at Selhurst Park in London has received planning approval from Croydon Council. Mott MacDonald is providing multidisciplinary engineering services to Crystal Palace Football Club (CPFC) on the project, which will increase the stand’s capacity from approximately 5,400 to 13,500.

As well as increasing the stadium’s total capacity to more than 34,000, the redevelopment will transform the match-day experience for the club’s supporters by offering new premium hospitality and entertainment facilities. A new museum, documenting the club’s history and its place in the south London community, will also be constructed. The centrepiece of the renovation will be a new five-storey stand featuring an all-glass front, with a roof that will funnel sound down to the pitch and the opposite Arthur Wait Stand.

Mott MacDonald is delivering structural, civil, geotechnical and transport engineering on the project, as well as air quality and noise assessments. The consultancy was also involved in some of the more challenging aspects of the planning application, such as the transport strategy for the greater spectator numbers and the stormwater management strategy, developing innovative solutions for both to help planning approval to be granted.

Rob Hazell, Mott MacDonald’s project director, said: “Selhurst Park has been home to CPFC since 1924 and this redevelopment will help both the club and stadium enter a bright and exciting new era. We will work closely with leading stadium architects KSS to help the club achieve its vision of celebrating its south London roots and creating an impressive sense of arrival and experience for its fans.”

CPFC’s development manager Guy Wickett added: “We were pleased with the work that Mott MacDonald carried out to support this complex planning application. It is an example of how, with the right direction, teams can achieve success beyond the confines of the standard processes followed by so many consultants.”

It is expected that the redevelopment will be completed in 2021. The existing main stand will remain in full operational use throughout the construction process, minimising the impact on the stadium’s capacity in the forthcoming football seasons.