26.10.21
Fossetts Farm | Go ahead for Southend United’s new stadium
Southend United Football Club's plans for a new 21,000-capacity stadium designed by Populous have been approved by Southend-on-Sea Borough Council. The planning approval unlocks the club’s long-held ambition to relocate to a new purpose-built stadium at Fossetts Farm in Southend-on-Sea.
The stadium is designed to be the catalyst for the creation of a whole new neighbourhood in Southend-on-Sea, with 1,491 new homes to be built as part of the Fossetts Farm development, including 439 affordable homes for local residents. The stadium scheme includes 347 residential units designed by CZWG. Outline permission has been granted for up to a further 1,114 residential units to be built as part of the wider development.
The move will also pave the way for CZWG’s housing regeneration proposals on the site of Roots Hall, Southend United F.C.’s existing but outdated stadium.
By integrating an element of the residential accommodation within the stadium itself, the project sets a design precedent for a new development model. The North Stand will see the residential frontages combined with the stadium's conferencing and matchday hospitality spaces. The residential accommodation will be set within a groundscraper atop the stadium.
In stadium-related residential development, the units are typically housed in independent buildings or free-standing corner buildings. However, the proposal for Southend F.C. allows the residential development to sit within the stadium itself, while allowing the scale of the stadium to remain intimate, compact and enclosed.
Populous’ designs fulfil Southend United F.C.’s ambition to create a mixed-use stadium development and will deliver a range of assets generating economic activity throughout the week. A hotel and conference facility and mixture of retail and commercial spaces will sustain the residential development and promote continuous use of the stadium. Football training facilities will further encourage footfall and activity within the area.
Mike Trice, Senior Principal at Populous, said: “With the council’s support of this application, we now have a clear path to the delivery of the club’s long-held ambition for a new stadium. We now look forward to delivering Southend United’s vision to integrate homes, business, leisure and sport together under one roof. This will prove to be a vibrant and active development and will deliver the very best new home for the fans and the club”.
Sanjiv Gohil, Director at CZWG said: “This exciting project for Southend F.C. demonstrates how successful collaborative working between three firms of architects, each working to their strengths, can be on a mixed-use scheme of this nature.”
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