Championship side Queens Park Rangers have announced plans to leave their Loftus Road home and move to a new 40,000 seater stadium based in the Old Oak area of West London, as the hoops look to build for the future.
Rangers have developed specific plans to move away from their iconic Loftus Road home in 2018, as the proposed new ground would be part of a general regeneration project aimed at the area of the city.
Chairman Tony Fernandes has backed the plans and speaking to the club’s official website…
“Loftus Road is – and always will be – a special place for the club and our supporters, but we need more than an 18,000 capacity.
“With no option of expanding here, we have to look elsewhere and we welcome the mayor’s and Hammersmith & Fulham council’s commitment to regenerate the area, which includes an option to develop a new stadium at Old Oak as a key catalyst to bring forward redevelopment, cementing our future in this part of West London.
“Not only will this give us a top quality stadium to cater for QPR’s needs as the club progresses and grows over the years ahead, but we are very excited about being the driving force behind creating one of the best new urban places in the world. This will be the catalyst for the regeneration of a forgotten area.”
QPR’s chief executive Phillip Beard also said….
“We will be consulting our loyal and passionate supporters, as well as the local community, on our exciting plans early next year. We will look to build a stadium QPR fans and local residents can be proud of. Loftus Road is renowned for its atmosphere and with the help of our supporters, replicating that at our new stadium will be one of our top priorities.”
The West London club, who are promotion contenders, managed by Harry Redknapp, have written a letter to the Mayor of London in collabiration with the Greater London Authority and the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham to “bring forward an early and very significant private sector investment into the Old Oak Common regeneration area”.
QPR’s plan’s comes day’s after Mayor Boris Johnson ‘s recent announcement that turning Old Oak into a new world-class city quarter is to be one of his main regeneration priorities within Greater London.
The regeneration of the area will also include recreational area’s, Homes, Restaurant’s, Cinema’s, Gym’s and several other ameanities to transform the Old Oak area, in a similar develpment which Stratford recieved after the Olympic Games last summer, as West Ham United will take over the ground in a few years, after a long dispute.
Antony Spencer, who is developing the masterplan for the project along with Sir Terry Farrell, said the area will be a “vibrant” development.
“We are talking to a number of world-class architects to design iconic tall buildings akin to New York, the Far East and London’s finest, as well as improving and incorporating the waterside environment of the Grand Union Canal.”
He added: “We are now in a position to forge ahead as we have secured strategic land holdings in excess of 100 acres. We are confident of securing a planning permission by early 2015 and starting development shortly afterwards.”
Loftus Road has seen historic moments in the history of the football club, with promotions, relegations, administrations and even a ground share with Fulham in the early 2000’s.
By Ben Reardon
@BenReardon1
