Leicester City submits plan for new training facility

Article posted by Coliseum, July 23^rd, 2018

Image: KSS

Leicester City Football Club (LCFC) last month submitted a planning application for the new world-class football training facility – designed by London-based KSS Group – at the former Park Hill Golf and Fishing Centre, according to reports.

LCFC’s vision is to expand upon recent success and become a consistently competitive force in the Premier League. A key priority to this vision is to develop an excellent training facility that provides an inspirational ‘place of work’ for the Club’s First team, development squad and academy, with an aspirational environment for the next generation of professionals.

“The masterplan has been developed to deliver a best-in-class football training facility to accommodate LCFC’s academy and First team players. The facility seeks to combine best practice in elite sports training with a celebration of LCFC’s culture and ethos. Our designs have been sensitively developed with a full understanding of the existing site context and consideration of the impacts of development on key neighbours and receptors,” KSS said in a statement posted on its official website.

Key components of the masterplan of the venue design include 12 full-size pitches, together with various smaller pitches and targeted outdoor training areas, including a full-size indoor pitch within a signature building that moulds into the landscape and forms a centre point to the masterplan, the statement said.

Additionally, a fully integrated training facility building for the academy and First team players, incorporating medical, tactical, training and dining facilities. Furthermore, a Sports Turf Academy, which will train the next generation of elite groundsmen / women, and a show pitch with a 499-seat stand to allow under-23s and U18s to play in a ‘match environment’, it added.

The proposals also seek to enhance the characteristics of the site and will generate a net increase in biodiversity across the area including the creation of 17 new wildlife and attenuation ponds with a total area of 9,400 sqm. Over 38,000 new trees will be planted to enhance 11.23 hectares retained woodland and create 4.41 hectares new broadleaved plantation, and improvement of retained Local Wildlife Site and creation of 14.59 hectares wildflower grassland.

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