Lord’s Cricket Ground will be transformed with an eye-catching new roof, stands and brand-new terraces next to its historic pavilion.
The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), which owns the ground, has been granted permission to reimagine a corner of the Home of Cricket.
Westminster City Council’s planning committee on Tuesday voted in favour of the club rebuilding the Allen stand and completely redeveloping the Tavern stand.
Design renders show the ground transformed with a new corrugated roof for the Tavern Stand, with the design believed to be inspired by cricket slip-catching cradles, creating a striking new look.
New tiers will be added to the stands under the proposed changes, and one of the big screens at the ground will be moved to create space for a top-floor bar.
A new level of seats will be added on top of the Tavern Stand while the Allen Stand, built in 1935 and the oldest at Lord’s, will be rebuilt with a new bridge linking it to the Grade-II listed Pavilion.
The bridge will be moved up a floor meaning it will no longer lead to the players and match officials area.
The redevelopment will add an extra 1,107 seats at the site, bringing the total capacity of the stadium to 32,287.
The plans reportedly cost around £60million and could be ready in time for the 2027 Ashes.
The proposals mark the latest stage of the 200-year-old grounds’ transformation following the redevelopment of the Compton and Edtich Stands, which were opened in 2019.
The ground was first opened in 1818 and quickly became a major venue as cricket became the world's leading sport in the 19th century.
Ahead of the application, a series of consultations were held with its “egg and bacon” tie-wearing MCC members during several Test Match and One Day International fixtures at Lords.
Discussions were also held with nearby residents and community groups.
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Concerns had been raised that the Tavern Stand overlooks nearby flats but council officers highlighted that views into homes were largely obscured by trees next to the ground.
Transport for London also complained about Lords expanding due to the strain that match days hold on the Tube at St John’s Wood.
TfL had asked for £2,500 per major event held at Lord’s to cover the inconvenience of extra staffing costs.
But Westminster planning committee chair, councillor Paul Fisher, said he was “flabagested” that TfL thinks Westminster City Council would condition a payment to a third party in the circumstances.
He said: “Here in the City of Westminster we have a world-class sporting facility that is admired the world over and for cricketing fans all over the world Lords is a destination of note.”
“All things considered I think this an application I would be glad to approve and I am looking forward to seeing the development in due course,” he added.
