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MCC reveal intentions for major Lord's redevelopment

27/02/2008

Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has announced it intends to seek planning permission to redevelop Lord's cricket ground over the next ten years.

The MCC owns the ground, situated in St John's Wood, London, and intends to increase capacity by nearly 10,000 at a cost of £200 million.

Lord's currently holds 30,000 people and the MCC hopes to increase that to 38,500 once building work has been completed.

Five of the current stands will be changed as part of the redevelopment, including the Compton and Edrich stands; however, the iconic Victorian pavilion will remain untouched as it is a listed building.

MCC deputy chief executive David Batts said that members of the club were fully behind the proposals as long as the ground retained its unique atmosphere.

Batts said: "The key thing for us to achieve is to increase the capacity without spoiling the atmosphere of Lord's.

"That will help us satisfy 10,000 more people that we cannot currently accommodate."

The MCC have asked a number of domestic and international architects to submit proposals for the project and expect the planning stage to take 12 months.

Among the changes to the ground are plans to install retractable floodlights – so day/night matches can be staged – a new academy, repositioning of the museum and possibly a luxury hotel.

However, MCC members have insisted that the ground does not take on the feel of a stadium, that the new stands must not encroach on the current playing surface and that the nursery ground must remain in place.

The MCC believe the redevelopment will allow Lord's to remain the country's premier cricket venue in the future and help it increase the amount of matches it stages each year.