The impact on transport and roads caused by the building of the new Chelsea football stadium has not been widely addressed, it has been claimed.
London Assembly member Tony Devenish, said he has “significant concerns” after Mayor Sadiq Khan approved the Stamford Bridge expansion plans on Monday (March 6).
Mr Devenish, a Conservative who represents the West Central constituency which covers the combined areas of Westminster, Hammersmith and Fulham and Kensington and Chelsea boroughs, says the issue must be addressed before work commences.
He said: “We all support Chelsea FC’s stadium upgrade and the continued investment in what is a major local attraction.
“However there are significant concerns about the impact the work will have on transport links during a lengthy construction."
Stamford Bridge expansion
He added: “The Mayor has approved the design but there appears to be no truly joined up plan to mitigate the clogging of local roads and the risk of gridlock.
“It is important these concerns are addressed in more depth than a normal planning application so our area does not grind to a halt for several years.”
The new stadium will see Chelsea's capacity rise almost 20,000 to 60,000.
Some residents have argued that Chelsea should meet the costs of a new overground stadium to accommodate extra fans.
Kensington and Chelsea Council has similar public transport fears , claiming the application approved by Hammersmith and Fulham planners failed to demonstrate that the development would not have an unacceptable impact on the operation of Earl’s Court underground station.
The neighbouring local authority also has concerns about on-street parking on its roads, the adverse impact the development would have on its highways, and a lack of cycle parking spaces.
Planning permission for the £500 million stadium was given in January. Development must begin by January 2020.
The stadium will result in £22m in benefits for the local community , with Hammersmith and Fulham Council saying the money will be spent on community schemes and upgrades and on housing, CCTV and transport routes .
Keep up to date with the latest news in west London via the free getwestlondon app.
You can even set it to receive push notifications for all the breaking news in your area.
Available to download from the App Store or Google Play for Android now!
