Pompey unveil £10m Fratton Park redevelopment plans
They'll see the ground's capacity return to more than 20,000
An extra £10 million is to be spent on a major redevelopment project for Portsmouth FC's Fratton Park ground.
The club has drawn up a four-year programme of work, which will begin immediately with changes to the North and South stands.
That will be followed up be changes to the Milton End, for which the club have planning permission to build a new stand.
The changes will mean that the ground's capacity will be temporarily affected during the work, but will rise back above 20,000 once all work is completed.
In a statement, Portsmouth FC said the work would help the club meet 'ever tightening health and safety regulations' across all areas of the stadium.
The benefits include improved access, new concession facilities, increased concourse areas, new seats, new electrical infrastructures and a longer-term decoration programme, along with the provision of accessible facilities for disabled supporters in all four stands.
Pompey chairman Michael Eisner said:
“Significant investment has already taken place over the past few years to keep the stadium safe, including keeping the South and North stand open.
"During this period, both in terms of a requirement of investment into infrastructure, strategic asset purchases, and Covid losses, £10 million has already been spent, along with a further commitment from myself for these works of an additional £10 million.
“Everyone is aware that while Fratton Park is an atmospheric stadium, it is also incredibly old, and we have reached a stage where due to the amount of work required internally at the ground, our capacity was going to be severely affected.
"We have also now committed to a new Milton End, that will not only stop this from happening, but will also eventually ensure we can welcome more than 20,000 passionate fans back into the ground.”
The club added that it 'remained in dialogue' with local government about much needed infrastructure improvements in the local vicinity to facilitate access to the stadium along the key transportation routes to Fratton Park.
Andrew Cullen, Pompey CEO, said:
“I’m grateful to all those who have contributed to developing and finalising a significant and inclusive works programme to restore the stadium capacity back above 20,000.
“It is vitally important for supporters to have every confidence that Fratton Park remains a safe place to visit and I would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding while these works are taking place."