Official: Chelsea acknowledge expiration for new stadium planning permission

It’s been three years since Chelsea secured the relevant permissions to begin work on the new stadium that’s been talked about for much of the past decade. It was a long and bumpy road to get there, fraught with controversy, legal battles, fan protests, and plenty of unknowns still remaining.

But the work on what would’ve been an impressive and unique structure never began and the entire project was put on hold last year after Roman Abramovich’s visa issues (official line cited an “unfavorable investment climate”). Chelsea had been very quiet on the entire matter as well, though supposedly still hoping to get the project started.

Today, the club gave an official update, essentially canceling the project in its current form.

Chelsea Football Club acknowledges that the planning permission we obtained for a new stadium expires on 31st March 2020.

We are grateful to all our fans and stakeholders, especially Hammersmith & Fulham Council, for their patience and understanding in the matter. We will continue to consider our options for a new stadium, should economic conditions improve.

- Source: Chelsea FC

Planning permits are given for three years, and unless something drastic happens in the next three days, we are letting them expire.

It’s unsurprising, and in a way expected after all this time, but still a bit sad.

Chelsea will need to go through the permission process again before beginning any actual construction work — which may or may not look like the current (expiring) plans.

Given the state of the world right now, it may be quite some time before any new stadium is under way.

Image © Herzog & de Meuron