Venue wants to hold 15 non-sporting events a year, up from current permitted three, to help bankroll revamp
Twickenham residents have voiced concern about the Rugby Football Union’s (RFU) £650m-plus plan to redevelop the home of England rugby.
An application for a new premises licence was heard by Richmond council last week with the proposal receiving 192 objections from residents, mainly over worries about increases in anti-social behaviour. Just 13 were in favour.
A decision on the application is expected soon with Twickenham hoping the green light will pave the way for wider plans to increase the number of major non-sporting events held at the venue, renamed the Allianz stadium, in the coming years.
The RFU wants to revamp the ground under ambitious proposals to improve transport links, reduce capacity to improve spectator comfort and stage up to 15 concerts a year – five times the stadium’s current permitted amount.
Stadium bosses hope that by increasing the number of concerts held at the west London venue, the extra revenue will help bankroll the work.
Stadium development director Alex Cohen has previously said the licensing application “is the first step in our ambition to ensure Allianz Stadium remains a best-in-class, multi-events venue that stands as a source of pride for Twickenham and the wider area”. If it gets the go-ahead, a decision will then be taken on an application for upgrade work.
The RFU confirmed the licensing application hearing was held by the council last Tuesday but declined to comment further.
A host of consultants including project manager RLB, architect Populous and QS T&T Alinea have been formally confirmed as working on the masterplan to redevelop the ground.
Called the Stadium Masterplan Project, others working on the scheme include transport and civils consultant WSP, fire engineer Arup, planning consultant DP9, M&E engineer Griffiths Evans, landscape architect Planit and buildability consultant JDP London. Simply CDM is the principal designer.
The estimated cost of the work has been put at £663m with the RFU hoping to start after the 2027 Six Nations championship.
Twickenham had its last major building work carried out nearly 20 years ago when Mowlem, later bought by Carillion, completed the South Stand redevelopment to raise capacity from 75,000 to its current 82,000 in 2006.
But the RFU says many of the stands have not been upgraded since, adding that the ground lies empty for too much of the year.
Twickenham is currently allowed to put on three concerts a year, each with a capacity of 55,000 and wants to expand this to 15 a year with an 82,000 capacity. But it needs permission from the local council to do so.
By contrast, the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, which hosted a series of concerts by US singer Beyoncé in June, is allowed to hold 30 non-sporting events a year while the figure for Wembley is higher still at 32.
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