Leicester City Football Club’s hybrid planning application for the development of the King Power Stadium and surrounding site has now received formal approval from Leicester City Council. It follows the Council planning committee’s initial approval in September 2022.
This final decision had been held pending the finalisation of a Section 106 agreement in relation to the proposed development, which has now been concluded.
A statement from Leicester City Football Club says: “The Club welcomes this endorsement of the planning committee’s previous approval and thanks its fellow city stakeholders for their continued cooperation and support for a developmental vision that will be transformational for the city and the region.”
The hybrid application, initially submitted for consideration in October 2021 following a public consultation process, consisted of a detailed planning application for an East Stand expansion of 8,000 seats, along with an outline application for a wider masterplan, including a fanzone and public realm, an event and entertainment arena, a 220-room hotel, a residential tower and a new flagship club retail space.
The wider masterplan is critical to the viability of the overall project, and the grant of outline permission for these additional elements represents a critical milestone for the overall development, whilst also providing the Club with an opportunity now to reassess its detailed proposals in light of market dynamics which have changed significantly since the Club’s proposals were initially submitted.
The Club’s acquisition of further adjacent land since the planning application was first submitted can now also be factored into the vision for the overall site, and presents a further opportunity to strengthen the Club’s overall commercial proposition.
The Club added: “It will be the responsibility of the Club’s leadership to ensure that the final detailed plans for a project of such longevity deliver optimal value, particularly given the scale of investment which will be required from the Club and its owners to bring it to fruition.
“The Club looks forward to advancing those detailed proposals, while continuing to monitor associated market conditions, which will enable us to plan an appropriate timeline for development work to commence.”
