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One of London’s greatest assets is its varied and wide-ranging sports scene; six Premier League football clubs, many further down the pyramid; iconic rugby, tennis and cricket grounds; indoor arenas as far as the eye can see.
But with success comes a desire to expand and grow. Chelsea are actively assessing options for a new site to replace Stamford Bridge, Wimbledon is set to expand its tennis empire into a local golf course, and somewhere in the capital could soon be home to a 20,000-capacity basketball arena.
In a city that houses 9m people, land is limited. But seven sites spanning nearly 2,500 acres – 3,000 if you add in Stratford’s Olympic Park – are being developed, with mixed views on whether they could accommodate an arena.
Battersea Power Station came close to becoming home to Chelsea when former owner Roman Abramovich had plans drawn up for a football stadium in the former industrial site. Now it houses the headquarters of Apple and a rather cool lift up one of the chimneys.
London ready to build
Their next development phase won’t, however, include a basketball arena for London’s proposed NBA Europe team, despite reports the site was being considered.
“We can confirm that our plans do include a venue space,” Battersea chiefs said, “which we think could be an important addition to the neighbourhood, but do not include a new NBA arena, as the amount of land required for this is not compatible with our future phases.”
By far the biggest development underway at the moment is in the west of the capital, where a 1,600-acre site will soon be home to HS2 (hopefully) and a monumental range of new residences and retail spaces. QPR had previously touted a stadium on Old Oak Common, but what about an NBA arena now? Well, it’s not clear.
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London told City AM: “We look forward to working with them on any future plans to bring top-tier basketball to London.” It’s not a no.
Chelsea have also considered a 44-acre site within minutes of their historic stadium at Earls Court. City AM understands the club remain interested in it, although its developers appear to have other ideas.
“There is no arena or stadium in the proposals, our focus is on getting on site to deliver the plans we have worked on for six years,” they said.
Those are the obvious three sites completely ruled out, or at least fudged for now. But beyond that there are major developments taking place: Barking Riverside, Thamesmead Waterfront, Silvertown Quays and the Canada Water Masterplan.
The 443-acre Barking site did not immediately respond for comment but the other three sites, spanning 360 acres, did not commit to building a stadium, instead focussing on existing plans.
There is of course one other option: building on the land redeveloped for the London 2012 Olympic Games. The Stratford site spans 500 acres and hosts a world class aquatic sports facility, the London Stadium and other arenas.
Sport future
A spokesperson for the site’s management firm, the London Legacy Development Corporation, said: “LLDC regularly engages with organisations interested in investing in the long-term success of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and its venues.
“Basketball continues to grow in popularity across London and, as part of the Park’s Olympic and Paralympic legacy, we want to see sport inspire participation, nurture talent, support healthy and active lifestyles, and bring people together through shared experiences.
“Any proposals would need to align with LLDC’s mission to deliver inclusive growth, creating opportunities for local communities, strengthening east London’s contribution to London’s economy, and ensuring the continued success of the Park as a destination for sport, culture, innovation and community.’’
Land is scarce across the capital, with brownfield areas being snapped up daily. The choice major sports teams – existing and new – have to develop and build will be 2,500 acres smaller once the aforementioned projects are completed. Time is running out and the race is hotting up.
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