Council give Brentford permission for stadium amendments
Friday 8 December 2017 16:27, UK
Brentford are expected to begin work on their new stadium early next year, after the local council granted them permission to make a number of amendments to the original design.
The planning committee of London Borough of Hounslow (LBH) approved the changes, submitted by the club, at a meeting held on Thursday.
The amendments, which were submitted in September of this year, focused on operational efficiency with upgrades to the broadcast, lighting and media facilities, so that it met modern Premier League football and Premiership rugby standards.
Another planned modification was to the entrance of the community stadium, which has been enhanced to include a public square with commercial outlets.
Brentford FC's Community Sports Trust offices will now be located in purpose-built facilities alongside the stadium.
The residential element of the scheme includes 487 new homes, which will be a mixture of apartments for rent and purchase, and designed to meet the housing needs of the local area.
Cliff Crown, chairman of Brentford FC, said in a statement: "This decision by Hounslow Council is a great early Christmas present for fans.
"We now hope to be in a position to begin stadium construction in February 2018, following completion of a revised agreement with LBH on our obligations and will share more details with fans on the stadium build phase early in the new year."
Conor Hayes, chairman of Lionel Road Developments Ltd, added: "We are delighted that the council has resolved to approve these last planning amendments that greatly improve the robustness and quality of the stadium and the enabling residential development.
"I would like to thank the London Borough of Hounslow and its councillors, as well as our entire team of engineers, architects and advisers, for their hard work and support in helping us to get to this stage.
"We now look forward to getting on with the job of delivering this exciting project."
