Crystal Palace Make 'Significant' Progress in Selhurst Park Redevelopment Plans

Crystal Palace have made new progress in their plans to redevelop Selhurst Park, though there are still some issues remaining.

The Eagles have been looking to expand their home stadium for years, unveiling their redevelopment plans in late 2017. The club have been working hard in negotiating the future of the stadium, and have now made a big step in the right direction.

As reported by The Athletic, the club have made significant progress in talks with Croydon Council, who have given approval to the principle of the development. A letter from the council has greatly helped negotiations, with positive discussions between the two.

However, Crystal Palace still have a notable issue to resolve before they can truly move onto the next step. The club need to buy the houses surrounding the stadium, especially the council homes which sit where the new, improved Main Stand will extend to.

Palace need to purchase these houses so they own the necessary land around Selhurst Park, which will let them expand their ground to the proposed capacity of 34,000. They also must fund the rehousing of the displaced residents, as well as their new accommodation elsewhere in the borough of Croydon.

A source from Croydon Council said: “The message is clear - the council has given approval to the principle of the development subject to agreement of this Section 106 deal.

“All the club need to do is reach an agreement and they are free to go ahead and redevelop the stadium, which everyone wants to see happen.”

The Section 106 agreement states that the club must make improvements to the local community, as well as causing as little impact to the area as possible.

Crystal Palace have played their football at Selhurst Park since 1924, 19 years after they were founded. The redevelopment project is set to cost between £75m and £100m, and would make the ground the 11th biggest stadium in the Premier League.

The full project is expected to take up to three years to complete, meaning it could be ready for the 2023/24 season. However, it is likely to be ready for a later season, due to the housing issues in the planning and the current global circumstances.​

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