- October 16, 2017
- Posted by: SportsV
- Categories: Home News, Industry News, News, Press Releases
Celtic Football Club has confirmed that planning permission ‘in principle’ has been granted by Glasgow City Council in relation to recent development proposals to create hotel, museum, retail and ticket office facilities at the the club’s Celtic Park home ground.
The application is part of Celtic’s long-standing masterplan for the area, a vision which aims to deliver benefits to the club and their supporters and allow further regeneration of the East End of the city, something to which the Club is totally committed.
A statement on the project on Celtic FC’s website reads:
It is important to emphasise that considerable work and investment over a number of years would be required to bring this project to fruition.
Celtic aims to be a world-class football club in everything it does. We are pleased to have made significant investment in recent years to develop the stadium and public realm area for the benefit of our supporters.
Any further development of this kind would be a hugely positive step for the club, for our supporters and for the local community, but we understand there would be a number of challenges to overcome to complete a development of this scale.
A spokesperson for Celtic FC added:
We are very pleased that initial planning permission has been granted. Clearly, there is still considerable work to be done in bringing such an ambitious project to fruition. However, we will now engage with other relevant parties to assess this potential development.
The club’s plans to regenerate the area around Celtic Park, which were unveiled earlier this year, have now been approved ‘in principal’ by council officials, with the terms meaning the project must be delivered within a 3-year timeframe. Celtic released images of the proposed GBP£18m development earlier this year, created by the architecture firm behind the project, Holmes Miller, who said they “are looking forward to developing this opportunity with Celtic FC”.
The hotel will be based on London Road, outside the main stand of Celtic Park and across from the Emirates Arena. Plans for the hotel building suggest it will be around five-storeys high and will include a restaurant, cafe and bar.
The plans follow on from the earlier regeneration of the East End of Glasgow for the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the development of the nearby Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome and Emirates Arena.
In a statement to Glasgow City Council by the club, Celtic FC confirmed the project would create up to 120 jobs, provide an economic boost to the area and reduce congestion around the stadium:
The history of the football club and its worldwide support mean that Celtic Park regularly attracts visitors outwith match days with stadium tours, the club shop and ticket office. Provision of a club museum and improved shop/ticketing facilities as proposed will greatly enhance the visitor experience and will help to sustain jobs and economic activity throughout the year. The provision of a hotel along with the club facilities will increase the attractiveness of the location as a tourist destination with spin off benefits to the entire area.
The proposed development will result in the creation of much-needed new employment opportunities associated with the hotel and museum. The current lack of hotel accommodation in the vicinity means that everyone attending events at the football stadium or the arena requires to travel on the day of the event adding to traffic volumes in the surrounding area. By locating the proposed hotel immediately beside the stadium and arena pressure on the local transport network will be reduced, particularly at times of peak movement.
Images, courtesy: Holmes Miller Architects
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