Lord's set for facelift

The home of cricket is set for a major facelift as Lord's is due to undergo a £200million redevelopment.

The home of cricket is set for a major facelift as Lord's is due to undergo a £200million redevelopment programme over the next 10 years. The plan would involve replacing five stands at the famous old ground, but not the listed Victorian Pavilion. Each stand would be redeveloped separately under the proposed scheme in order to reduce any disruption, with the aim of increasing capacity from 10,000 to 38,500 upon completion. MCC deputy chief executive David Batts, who is in charge of the project, said that they wanted to keep the current plan of Lord's and not build a joined-up stadium. "We do not want to create a stadium," Batts told The Times. "And we have to be mindful of how many people will be able to walk around the ground during a Test match to buy food and drink. "The walkways can be congested already, so we have to work out how many boxes and bars we put into the stands to enable spectators to eat in the stands, which is particularly necessary for the short Twenty20 matches." Subject to receiving planning permission from Westminster City Council and the backing of members, work is expected to begin in 2010.