Brentford FC partners with Novotel London Brentford and issues new stadium plan update

After more than three years working with the Club, Novotel London Brentford has now signed up as a Brentford FC Official Club Supplier for the 2017/18 season and beyond.

Brentford FC has been using the nearby Novotel, which is on the corner of Ealing Road and Great West Road – a few minutes from Griffin Park, as part of match preparations in recent years. Before every home match the Brentford players use the modern and contemporary hotel for their pre-match meal and analysis. It is also used to house new signings before they find permanent accommodation in the area and by the Club for meetings and events.  

James Parkinson, Brentford Commercial Director, said:

Terence Beach, General Manager, Novotel London Brentford said:

In regards to the club’s Brentford Community Stadium project, work to demolish and clear the Capital Court site, which was the subject of a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) process for the new stadium development, is now complete.

 

Brentford released a short timelapse video today showing the latest work in action: https://youtu.be/TvPupckz_K4

 

Given the proximity to railway lines, the demolition had to be a controlled process over a number of weeks. You can also see some of the dust suppression units in the video brought in to spray water during the demolition process to try and minimise the inconvenience to the club’s neighbours.

 

On Thursday 7 December, the London Borough of Hounslow will decide at a Planning Committee meeting whether to give its approval to the planning amendments submitted for the new stadium, the final step before the main stadium build phase can begin early in the New Year, with the aim of completion by late 2019 or early 2020.

 

Since the original planning permission was granted in June 2014, significant changes have taken place both within the development marketplace and in relation to English Premier League (EPL) football and Premiership rugby union requirements. As a result, the Club and Be have undertaken a detailed review, to ensure the stadium is Premier League compliant upon completion; to enhance the urban and residential design; and to reduce the risks from the stadium construction process and its future operation.

 

The result is a stadium that is smaller in capacity (down from 20,000 seats to 17,250) and which will be sited three metres south of its original location. This will allow the incorporation of a road at the northern perimeter to improve access through the site and ease the construction constraints imposed by a site bounded on all sides by railway lines. In addition, Be are taking this opportunity to revise the residential development to create a better and more integrated sense of place, with increased permeability. The stadium and the enabling residential development will remain within the planning envelope approved in 2014 and there is no increase in either the height or the overall number of homes within the residential development.

 

These amendments will not impact on the overall quality of the stadium. In fact, recent successful seasons in the Championship have only served to harden the resolve of the owner, Matthew Benham, and the management team of Brentford FC to continue its pursuit of EPL status. This is illustrated by the fact that a key amendment involves the inclusion of Premier League-compliant Outside Broadcast facilities within the stadium itself, together with facilities to meet the latest EPL requirements for lighting and media. Similarly, the new stadium will benefit from premium lounges with the capability of welcoming up to 3,000 guests.  There is also provision for some safe standing, when legislation allows for this.

 

The facilities for the Brentford FC Community Sports Trust will not now be within the stadium itself. Instead, it’s proposed that the Trust’s offices, Learning Zone and Hounslow’s Interim Education Centre will be housed in the ground and first floor of the Central Eastern residential block, immediately next to the stadium, giving them dedicated facilities which can be used 365 days a year, something that was not possible if they had been located in the stadium.

 

The proposed amendments to the residential development are focused around the first phase and specifically about improving the experience for all those who will come to enjoy the site. A new square which knits the apartment buildings and the stadium together provides a proper main entrance to the stadium, whilst the addition of non-residential uses around the square will make it somewhere people will want to come on non-match days. The look of the buildings has been improved to make them much more in keeping with the existing architecture in the local area and the apartment buildings themselves have been re-planned to better suit market needs. Of the 910 homes consented for the scheme, 487 will be delivered in the first phase with residents able to both rent and buy.