The latest indication from Queens Park Rangers Football Club is that plans for a new 30,000-seat stadium is that it must have potential for conference and corporate events to generate income on non-match days.
A report in The Times newspaper says the club has scaled down its original project for a 40,000-seat ground to be built by 2018. That plan was part of a wider regeneration plan for the area around Wormwood Scrubs, but the scheme came under fire for cost and got bogged down by delays and political uncertainty. Mayor Khan had branded the regeneration project as “a mess” in a review that called on the government to reduce the financial burden it could place on Londoners.
The new plan is to rebuild the existing Linford Christie athletics stadium. The project, The Times says, although cheaper than the original, is still likely to incur a £200m price tag and would be likely funded by QPR owners, Air Asia chief executive Tony Fernandes and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal.
The sale of the existing Loftus Road ground for housing development would probably be part of the equation.
Loftus Road not only has an 18,000 capacity but is old and has no real potential for conference and events.
Organisers should not hold their breath, as there are likely to be lengthy discussions ahead with Hammersmith & Fulham council, operator of the Linford Christie stadium, before any ground is broken.
