Developer Says No Plans For New Chelsea FC Home In Earls Court Proposals

The Earls Court Development Company has submitted a 7.5M SF master plan for “central London’s largest cleared development site” to the councils at Hammersmith and Fulham and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

The proposals do not include a new stadium for Chelsea Football Club, despite reports in The Guardian last week that Chelsea had held talks over moving from its home at Stamford Bridge on Fulham Road to Earl’s Court after discussions with two of the development partners, Transport for London and developer Delancey. 

ECDC is leading the transformation of the 40-acre site on behalf of the Earls Court Partnership. The other partner is Dutch pension fund APG. The ECDC will be able to move ahead if it receives planning permission, which could derail Chelsea’s plans, although the club is understood to have drawn up plans for the Lillie Bridge depot area within the scheme, and Chelsea Chief Operating Officer Jason Gannon has been leading discussions for the club.

“There is no plan within our plans for Chelsea FC to relocate to the Earl’s Court site,” a spokesperson for ECDC said in a statement. “We have a fully detailed design, registered with both local authorities, which prioritises the delivery of thousands of homes and jobs, culture and open space through a well-designed and considered master plan which has evolved over four years of engagement. This will see development commence in 2026 with the first residents and occupiers moving in from 2030. This is, and will remain, our primary focus.”

Under the proposals, the site will include around 4,000 new homes amid 20 acres of public open and green space, plus 2.5M SF of workspace and three new cultural venues.

Detailed plans have been submitted for the first buildings of Phase 1 of the development, set to commence in 2026. This will include the first commercial spaces and circa 1,500 new homes, including for rent, sale and specialist housing for students and later living set around Table Park.  

The planning applications include detailed proposals for a first phase with three plots in Hammersmith and Fulham, comprising a 42-storey tower, residential and student accommodation, retail, food and beverage, cultural and community spaces, and 462 homes and 696 student rooms. There would be two plots in Kensington and Chelsea delivering 310 homes, including a 26-storey tower, a seven-storey mansion block and townhouses, and another residential building with commercial spaces and a nursery.  

The three venues would include the 10K SF The Crescent, 40K SF Empress Place and performing arts space The Train Shed. 

The projected timeline anticipates that the planning decision will be published in summer 2025, with Phase 1 construction due to follow in late 2026. The first residents would then move into the new homes in 2030, and between then and 2041, the master plan would be built in phases.

“Critical to achieving these aims is creating a place with personality, a place that once again becomes a destination with a broad cultural appeal and fully inclusive to all that come to experience it,” ECDC CEO Rob Heasman said in a statement.

For its part, Chelsea would need to reach an agreement with Chelsea Pitch Owners, which holds the freehold of Stamford Bridge stadium and could block any attempt to move. However, at a meeting under the previous ownership, CPO members had turned down a request to sell their shares back to the club but had intimated that they would support a move to a location within 3 miles.