- April 27, 2018
- Posted by: SportsV
- Categories: Event News, Industry News, News, Press Releases
The first pictures of the planned Lock/Laker redevelopment at the Kia Oval have been released after the Club put in a planning application this week. The planned developments would see the venue’s capacity raised to 28,000.
The four images (above & below) show different perspectives of the scheme, taken from the pitch, directly outside the ground, the bottom of nearby Bowling Green Street and from outside the Oval tube station.
Looking at the picture from the pitch (above) the extra work to be done on the historic Micky Stewart Members’ Pavilion can also be seen, with the Victorian building enjoying a new symmetry when viewed from the Vauxhall End.
The new Lock/Laker stand at the Kia Oval will increase the capacity of the ground to around 28,000, adding 2,500 seats. The development will see the existing Peter May Stand extended around to link to the Micky Stewart Members’ Pavilion with two tiers, including further roof terracing, added above.
There will also be an extension to the Micky Stewart Members’ Pavilion, by adding an extra wing to the original building, built in the 1890s, which will make it fully symmetrical when viewed from the Vauxhall End of the ground and add new rooms for Members’ use on match days.
As well as the extra match day capacity, the new development will see a new facility constructed for the club’s Conference and Events business, allowing the ground to host larger events with scope for over 700 guests that will allow for extensive further development in non match-day events at the Kia Oval.
The application was submitted after a lengthy consultation with the residential community around the Kia Oval and Lambeth Council. The architects for the scheme are Rolfe Judd, a practice headquartered on Claylands Road, five minutes walk from the Kia Oval, who also designed the new Peter May Stand that was opened in 2016.
Should planning permission be granted later this year, construction is planned to begin after the 2019 winter and be completed, in two phases, by the start of the 2021 summer of cricket.
Surrey CCC Chief Executive, Richard Gould, said:
Ever since announcing our plan to expand the Kia Oval in order to meet the increasing demand we are encountering for international and domestic cricket, we have been working towards this moment.
As well as adding 2,500 extra seats to the ground, this development will provide vital new facilities to help the club continue to build on the recent growth that has been driven in our conference and event business.
I would like to thank the local residents we worked with on the design of the scheme, as well as other club stakeholders for their help and support in the preparation of this application.
Full details of the planning application were announced by Surrey CCC Chairman Richard Thompson at the club’s annual AGM last night, when he also announced that Surrey had recorded record profits of £3.6m for the last financial year.
It was also confirmed this week that England will play South Africa at The Oval on May 30, 2019, in the opening match of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup.
The ground will host four subsequent group matches, with seven of the world’s top cricketing nations set to play at The Oval during the competition.
After England v South Africa, the ground will host South Africa v Bangladesh three days later on Sunday June 2, before Bangladesh take on New Zealand in a day/night match on Wednesday June 5.
The following weekend will see a massive clash between India and Australia on Sunday June 9, before the ground’s final game will take place on Saturday June 15, between Sri Lanka and Australia.
Images, courtesy: Surrey CCC/Rolfe Judd
