Chelsea have once again reiterated that nothing has changed about the new Stamford Bridge redevelopment after recent reports about a change of venue.
According to New Civil Engineer, Chelsea were looking to cut costs by planning to actually build the new stadium on a different site and not knock down the current Stamford Bridge stadium.
However, the club have refuted that claim however with a statement that they released
"Chelsea FC is aware of the media speculation relating to the new stadium, however can confirm that the club’s position remains unchanged since May 2018," the club said this afternoon.
"The stadium project has been put on hold due to the current unfavourable investment climate. There is no time frame set for reconsidering this position, but when we do all relevant parties including the CPO and fans will be informed."
But what has been going on with the stadium plans?
What would the stadium have been like?
Chelsea's current Stamford Bridge holds around 41,000 and the new stadium was set to increase that number to around 60,000 once it was done.
The new Stamford Bridge was also going to be built on the site of the current one. That obviously brought some complications with it. One was the fact that Chelsea would have to play about four years away from home, while a bridge was going to have to be built over the current train line.
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How far did the plans get?
As far as preparation went, the plans got to as far as they needed to do. They were green lit by Hammersmith & Fulham Council, while Mayor of London Sadiq Khan passed them through as well and called it potentially a 'jewel in London's sporting crown'.
You can see the planning permission right here.
The planning permission was granted on March 31, 2017 and work needs to begin within three years for the plans to not have to be submitted once again.
The club also needed to deal with some residents that would be affected by the building work and the new stadium.
Why was the development put on hold?
The building work was set to cost between £500mn-£1bn, however the plans were shelved in May last year with the club citing a "current unfavourable investment climate."
However, there were many more things on play.
Firstly, Roman Abramovich was embroiled in a dispute with the UK government over his investor's visa. While the UK government delayed it, Abramovich decided to pull his application.
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football.london understand that the Blues owner was not willing to put his own money into a project that would likely boost the UK economy as well when he was not wanted in the country.
The other factor was that of Brexit. With the uncertainty in what would happen to the UK and how it could effect the development, then
So are the plans scrapped?
There was no timeline in Chelsea's statement when they announced the postponement, however there is a belief that the plans will once again go ahead should Abramovich be at the club.
However, with Brexit rumbling on then Chelsea fans might have wait for it to start as football.london understand that building won't start until that is sorted and settled down.
The hope is that the plans will resurface once again and Chelsea can get back to planning for the new redevelopment.
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What have the club said?
Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck has been the most vocal when it comes to the Blues this season and he's said: "Everything he's [Abramovich] doing reaffirms his commitment to Chelsea.
"We hear from him several times a day and he's talking to us about players, commercial activities and our good causes.
"So I would say he's committed to Chelsea.
“In our plans for a new stadium, which are currently on hold, we're proposing to do many of the things that Spurs have done, but it’s a matter of getting the balance right.
"We’re trying to get the fans there for longer periods of time."
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