Chelsea to learn next week if Stamford Bridge can be redeveloped

Chelsea are expected to discover next Wednesday if their planning application to rebuild Stamford Bridge will be approved.

The application to convert the ground into a 60,000-seat stadium will be presented to Hammersmith and Fulham Council planning and development control committee on January 11, the council said on Thursday.

And the committee is expected to deliver its verdict after the scheduled meeting, which is due to begin at 1900.

Hammersmith and Fulham Council has recommended the application be approved, but the complexity of the project means it would just be one significant step in the rebuild to transform the current 41,000-capacity stadium into a new one.

It would also expedite Chelsea's requirement to find a temporary home.

Chelsea submitted the planning application in November 2015. The proximity of overground and underground railway lines creates challenges for the project in a built-up area of west London.