Millwall Sports Village Unveiled

Millwall Football Club has had the plans unveiled for a new "Sports Village" next to their stadium that will see the redevelopment of a 30 acre site designed by Studio Egret West.

Drawn up on behalf of property company Renewal, the project masterplan features dozens of new residential building totaling 3,000 new apartments plus numerous sports facilities to try and cash in on the fact that East London is hosting the 2012 Olympics games. These will include a new swimming pool and basketball court on Surrey Canal Road and a number of indoor centres to encourage other less popular sports such as table tennis and weightlifting.

Meanwhile Squire and Partners is working on plans for a new stadium for Millwall having replaced Alsop Sparch following the move by leading architect Will Alsop to RMJM.

Further complicating matters, Renewal has yet to secure the full support of Millwall Football Club and have included in their scheme pieces of land that are owned by Millwall indicating that perhaps the property company is making a speculative pitch mindful the success that can be had as seen at Arsenal in North London.

The success of the project also hinges on whether a £7 million grant from the Department of Transport to construct a new station on Surrey Canal Road can be secured. Although previously promised, the new LibCon government has been eager to cut spending and numerous rail schemes have already bitten the dust.

Whether that happens here remains to be seen, but even if the proposals by Studio Egret West do get the go-ahead from the local council there are many hurdles for the project to cross.