‘the Hatters’ to reveal new home plans soon

Article posted by Coliseum, March 26^th, 2021

Image: Luton Town FC

English Championship football club Luton Town (UK) has announced that it plans to submit detailed plans for its new facility in six months time.

‘Luton Town FC’ stated that their new home has been designed by Leslie Jones Architecture and is something to look forward to with eager anticipation ahead of the proposed move-in date of 2024.

Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club has played at the 10,300-seat Kenilworth Road Stadium since 1905.

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The news was disclosed as Luton and its partner in the Power Court Project, 2020 Developments, provided an update on the scheme, which also includes the Newlands Park mixed-use development. In January 2020, Luton was allowed to go ahead with the plans after being informed by the local council that no fresh appeal had been made against the project.

The Power Court complex is a new football stadium and mixed-use development planned in Newlands Park, Luton, UK. The new stadium for Luton Town is likely to be built in Power Court, just 1.5 km (1 mile) East from Kenilworth Road.

Both sites are owned 100 percent freehold by 2020 Developments (Luton) Limited having been acquired in various stages between 2015 and 2018. Outline planning consent was received for both sites during 2019.

‘Luton Town FC’ further stated that structural changes in the way the UK consumer shops, works and plays has required a revision to scheme plans originally conceived in 2015-2016 prior to submission of original planning applications. COVID-19 has generally served to accelerate these structural changes. Our challenge has been to ensure our vision for both sites remains viable and deliverable. Several changes were already being considered by the development team ahead of any impact from coronavirus which is still taking a huge toll on lives in several parts of the world. This is standard for any development between early stages of the process.

In March 2019, Luton Borough Council’s development control committee ruled that plans for the Newlands Park project should be greenlighted after the club was granted permission to build a new stadium on the Power Court site in January of that year.

However, COVID-19 has proved to be the villain and work has not started on either site since then, with coronavirus casting a long shadow and attributing for the delays.

The two parties stated, “The coronavirus pandemic has generally served to accelerate these structural changes. Our challenge has been to ensure our vision for both sites remains viable and deliverable. Several changes were already being considered by the development team ahead of any impact from COVID-19. This is standard for any development between early stages of the process.”

The Power Court stadium capacity remains set at 23,000, with potentially an initial cap at 17,500 for transport assessment reasons, and a target opening date in 2024. In late 2020, a Planning Performance Agreement (PPA) was agreed with Luton Borough Council in respect of revised planning applications for both Power Court and Newlands Park. The aim of the PPA is to meet all statutory requirements with a target date for determination of April/May 2021.

For Power Court, the new application focuses on changes to the West and East ends of the site.

The statement read, “Here the vision is that, from Guildford Street/Church Street, the site will be entered at ground level so that the walk from the town center will be easy and seamless. By dropping the original vision of steps up to a podium we can now make use of the River Lea that is currently culverted through the center of the site in its natural route. The new plans see the river brought back to life and made into a feature that will add character and a cultural identity to the piazza space at the heart of Power Court. St Mary’s Church remains a key feature in our design thinking. With the removal of the podium at the West End of the site we reduce the mass of the buildings by a considerable margin. We are also now able to open up the site to allow greater access from St Mary’s Road.”

The original plans for Power Court proposed relocating the River Lea to run down St Mary’s Road.

The statement continued, “With further work investigations we feel this is unviable and simply does not work as, in practice, the river would sit many meters below the ground and so would look and feel more like a moat or a trench and act as a barrier to access the stadium from St Mary’s Church, the University and the rest of the town center. Instead, we want to work with the Council and our neighbors to reduce traffic on St Mary’s Road and introduce green space and a high-quality public realm. In revising our plans for Power Court, we have been able to increase the number of residential units to approximately 1,200 without materially increasing overall building heights. We have also increased our commitment to working with LBC and helping local housing need by volunteering a policy compliant 20 percent affordable provision onsite.”

The two parties said the Newlands Park project has shifted away from retail and leisure-led scheme to one with a broader mix of uses to include business space, research and development, distribution and office uses. Retail space will still be incorporated, but at a much lower scale.

The statement further read, “Ultimately our position remains the same in that a stadium at Power Court will not come forward without Newlands Park. In terms of our stadium plans we are working within the original planning permission to bring forward a final and detailed design for our club’s new home. In addition to the stadium itself the central area of the site will include a mix of food and beverage, retail, business, and community space such that it will be a hive of activity on nonmatch days. We believe this is critical to making Power Court a genuinely thriving new quarter for the town center.”

Luton and 2020 Developments said they will shortly announce partnerships with sector specialists in residential and commercial development. Detailed plans for the new stadium are expected to be revealed in the summer, with a view to commencing initial work at Power Court by the end of the year.

The statement added, “At Newlands Park at Junction 10 of the M1 our plans remain set on delivering a new attractive gateway for the town. The focus has shifted away from retail and leisure-led scheme to one with a broader mix of uses to include business space, research and development, distribution and office uses. We will still seek to deliver retail space, but it will be of a much lower scale than previously planned but still retaining its aspiration.”

“Newlands Park continues to play an essential role in our plans and its contribution to the local economy is also incredibly important. At a time of wider economic uncertainty, we are seeking to deliver the type of flexible commercial space that successful companies are demanding but without compromise on environmental standards. The potential of the site is unmistakable with its ability to deliver approximately 4,000 new jobs and a contribution of some £240m each year to the Luton economy. To facilitate the planning process, we have split the Newlands Park site into a West and an East (either side of Newlands Road) and we hope both will be considered alongside our vision for Power Court. Ultimately our position remains the same in that a stadium at Power Court will not come forward without Newlands Park.”

“We are currently engaged with Historic England in a formal process to gain their feedback and support for our evolving stadium design (with particular focus on the St Mary’s Road frontage). As this process continues through the year, we will be in a position to engage with supporters and wider stakeholders. We have been delighted so far at the response from the market and businesses wanting to work with us and make our plans a reality. Our consideration of who to work with is incredibly important and we will shortly be able to announce partnerships with sector specialists in residential and commercial development.”

Target timetable:

April/May 2021 – Determination of revised applications for Power Court and Newlands Park;
May/June 2021 – Announcement of initial partner development companies;
Summer 2021 – Detailed plans revealed for new stadium;
Late 2021 – Commencement of initial works at Power Court;
2022 – Initial phases of development at Newlands Park and Power Court complete; and
2024 – Opening football match at the new Power Court Stadium.

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