Selhurst Park main stand preliminary work to get underway this summer

BY ANDREW MCSTEEN

Crystal Palace chairman and co-owner Steve Parish has revealed that work to redevelop Selhurst Park will get underway in a few months.

Last month, The Athletic revealed that the club had signed an agreement to fund community improvements – known as a ‘Section 106’ in planning regulations – which had delayed work to the proposed 13,500 capacity Main Stand.

Back in April 2018, the club were granted planning permission by Croydon Council for the project, but various obstacles, including moving residents in the construction area, acquiring land and rising project costs amongst other issues have delayed it.

But, speaking at the Crystal Palace End of Season Awards last night at the Fairfield Halls in Croydon, Parish provided an important update on the stadium, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.

“We’re really moving forward with this stadium plan, which I know has been slower than we want, but there really is progress in the back now. We’re committed to doing it and really give us all something to be proud of,” said Parish.

“We’re starting to do the preliminary work in the summer. We’re going to have to move the away changing rooms to underneath the Holmesdale (Road – stand). We’ve also got to move the offices out of the Main Stand so that we can use the current offices as a concourse.”

In addition to the work in SE25, the club is also continuing the redevelopment of its training ground sites in Beckenham, at the first team training ground and academy, based on either side of Copers Cope Road.

“There’s a big, 40,000 square foot wing at the back (of the Academy) which will be a shared first team/academy facility,” explained the Palace chairman. “It’s a big medical facility with rehab pools and a new, massive open gym, which could be another real positive for everybody.

“We’re still doing things to the first team training facility, trying to extend the gym and we’re always looking to do improvements. Everybody wants to see progress in the football club. I get as frustrated as everybody with the speed sometimes that things go.

“We all want progress, the teams are giving us that, giving us some exciting football and we’ll work in the background to show progress in the rest of the club.”