St Mary’s Waterfront pioneering plans

Article posted by Coliseum, January 17^th, 2025

Image: St Mary's Stadium, User890899, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Premier League team Southampton Football Club (UK) and the Southampton City Council recently announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) outlining a transformative partnership to explore the redevelopment of the St Mary’s Waterfront area.

‘SOUTHAMPTON CITY COUNCIL’ stated that the above landmark collaboration aims to create a premier sports, leisure and entertainment offer along the South Coast benefiting the residents, the visitors and the broader community.

The Southampton Football Club is a professional football club based in Southampton, Hampshire, England (UK). The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football.

The St Mary’s Stadium is a seated but also safe-standing football stadium in Southampton, Hampshire, England (UK) which has been the home stadium of the Premier League club Southampton F.C. since 2001. The stadium has a capacity to hold 32,384 spectators and is currently the largest football stadium in South East England.

The St Mary’s Waterfront is a planned development area in Southampton, England (UK) that will include the Southampton Football Club’s home ground – the St Mary’s Stadium – and new homes and businesses. The development is intended to create a vibrant center for sports, entertainment and leisure.

‘SOUTHAMPTON CITY COUNCIL’ further stated that the MOU establishes a framework for joint planning and development as ‘The Saints’ and the Southampton City Council work together to transform the Itchen Riverside (the area along the River Itchen, a river flowing through Hampshire, England, particularly the section close to the City of Southampton where the river meets the waterfront) and the St Mary’s Waterfront district into a vibrant, year-round destination. Both parties aim to enhance the area’s economic potential while promoting sustainability, social value and accessibility.

The shared vision includes:

Expanding the St Mary’s Stadium and developing the surrounding areas to accommodate future growth and establishing it as a key entertainment destination on the South Coast;
Enhanced Transport and Infrastructure plans to improve connectivity making it easier for the residents and the visitors to access the waterfront area;
A mixed and balanced community that includes commercial, leisure, residential, and accessible public spaces that enhance the quality of life for the local people and attract new visitors and investment; and
Sustainability and Environmental Initiatives aligned with Southampton’s Green City Plan.

The Southampton’s Green City Plan is a strategy by the Southampton City Council aimed at creating a cleaner, greener and more sustainable City by focusing on reducing carbon emissions, improving the air quality, protecting the natural environment, and promoting sustainable travel with a goal of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2030.

As part of the above MOU, the Southampton F.C. and the Southampton City Council will collaborate on a range of initiatives such as future development, transport improvements and overall community engagement to make the St Mary’s Waterfront area a leading sports and entertainment destination. Both the organizations are committed to working openly and in close cooperation with the local partners to achieve mutual goals that reflect the interests of the Southampton community.

The MOU’s objectives will be reviewed regularly allowing flexibility for emerging opportunities and ensuring the project’s goals continue to meet the needs of Southampton’s residents and businesses.

Pointed out Phil Parsons, head honcho of Southampton F.C., “This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is a crucial step in ensuring the future success of both the Southampton Football Club and the City of Southampton. For the club to thrive and survive in the Premier League we must increase our revenue streams and developing the St Mary’s Waterfront area is central to achieving that. In turn, a successful football club at the highest level brings enormous benefits to the City including increased tourism, investment and civic pride. We are incredibly grateful to the Council for their proactive and committed approach to this partnership. Their vision for developing the area and improving the City aligns perfectly with our ambition to establish Southampton as a leading destination for sport, leisure and entertainment.”

Commented Councilor Lorna Fielker, Leader of Southampton City Council, “This is an exciting first step in bringing forward a unified vision for Southampton’s future. We are working with our partners and the key stakeholders across the City to deliver on our aspirations and are delighted to be working with the Southampton F.C. to support what for many people represents the pride of the City.”

The MOU emphasizes the commitment of the Southampton Football Club and the Southampton City Council to work closely over the coming years in establishing the St Mary’s Waterfront as a vibrant and enhanced center for sport and entertainment. This partnership is part of the broader Southampton Renaissance strategy which seeks to attract investment and boost the local economy.

Continue to follow Coliseum for latest updates on venues business news. Coliseum is dedicated towards building the best global community of sports and entertainment venue executives and professionals creating better and more profitable venues.

Become a member of the only Global Sports Venue Alliance and connect with stadiums, arenas and experts from around the world. Apply for membership at www.coliseum-online.com/alliance and make use of the 365Coliseum Business.

Watch 500+ member-exclusive videos with valuable tips for your venue