Final whistle means new homes for old stadiums

photo credit: david.nikonvscanon

Long gone are the days of standing out in the rain with a soggy pie and chips to watch your footy team play. Football stadiums are becoming more and more swish by the season - you’ve only got to look at Arsenal’s Emirates creation and the plans for Liverpool’s Stanley Park empire. But now even Portsmouth are at it and have unveiled fancy plans for a new 36,000-seater ground at Portsmouth harbour.

Regenerative spirit

Now you might wonder why I’m rambling on about football grounds on a property blog. Bear with me, I do occasionally have a point to make you know. And here it is….with all these new grounds popping up, the old stadiums are making way for some pretty impressive developments, which are also helping to regenerate football-fan rampaged areas.

Arsenal’s old stomping ground, Highbury, is fast being turned into ‘The Stadium Highbury Square’….ooooh. A development of ‘contemporary’ apartments, with balconies that look out onto landscaped gardens and a fitness suite and swimming pool on site.

Pies are off the menu

Anfield will become ‘Anfield Plaza’ (no scouse jokes please) with a hotel, bars, restaurants, open spaces, shops and residential and office developments. No pie and pea stands here then.

Back to Pompey, and 750 new homes are expected to be built on the current Fratton Park and even the new pad will be a mixed-use development with residential and business opportunities. Not if you’re a Southampton fan though.

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