Galliard Homes, in association with AFC Wimbledon Football Club, has received planning consent from Merton Council for a new 14-acre multi-million mixed use sports stadium located off Plough Lane in Wimbledon.
The new 20,000-seater football stadium – designed by Wilson Owens Owens – with an initial capacity of 11,000, will serve as the new home of AFC Wimbledon Football Club. The residential, retail and leisure elements of the scheme, is designed by award winning architectural practice Sheppard Robson.
Around the new stadium Galliard Homes will build a mixed use development providing 602 mixed tenure apartments; a 17,500ft² (1,625m²) squash club and fitness facility providing six squash courts, dance/fitness studio and g and a 13,700ft² (1,273m²) retail outlet.
The football stadium entrance will front onto a new public piazza and there will be a wide pedestrian boulevard running across the site from North to South, positioned between the stadium and housing, connecting Plough Lane with Riverside and Summerstown.
The project has a three year construction programme with demolition of existing stock car and racing track buildings beginning in Q2 2016. Galliard Homes will be responsible for building the residential, leisure and retail aspects of the project with AFC Wimbledon leading on the construction of the sports stadium.
Mike Watson, planning & development director at Galliard Homes said: “We are delighted to have received planning permission to redevelop this important brownfield site into a new multi-million sports led destination for Wimbledon.” This is the third sports stadium project that Galliard Homes has been involved in, the others being the Emirates Stadium and Upton Park. The new homes will include affordable housing for local people and will make a significant contribution towards Merton’s own minimum 10 year target for new homes and the regeneration of this part of Merton.”
Erik Samuelson, chief executive of AFC Wimbledon said: “We are all absolutely delighted, this has been a momentous day for our club. This is our home and we are delighted that we have been granted planning approval to return to Wimbledon.”
Claire Haywood, partner at Sheppard Robson, said "This is a fantastic outcome for AFC Wimbledon and Galliard Homes, and for the local community and its future residents. By regenerating this Merton site, we are giving AFC Wimbledon a new home, and creating housing and public space. It has been a long and complex journey, and I'm really delighted that Sheppard Robson has delivered the right result.”
Alongside Sheppard Robson and Wilson Owens Owens , Savills submitted and achieved the planning consent; Peter Brett Associates advised on the Environment Impact Assessment, flood mitigation and transport; and Thorncliffe provided political and community consultation.
