Redevelopment plans for Lord’s Cricket Ground’s Tavern and Allen stands have been approved by members of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and Westminster City Council’s Planning Committee.
The £61.8m project, which was put to the MCC’s 18,000-strong membership at its AGM, will provide improved catering, hospitality and accessibility, as well as increasing the overall ground capacity by an additional 1,100 seats. MCC Members’ approval comes after Westminster City Council’s Planning Committee unanimously resolved to grant planning consent to the Tavern and Allen project at a meeting on 16 April.
MCC is now ready to enter the construction phase of the redevelopment, due to begin in late September, at the end of the cricket season. The Tavern and Allen stand project follows the successful completion of the redevelopment and significant improvement to the Compton and Edrich stands, a £53m project that was completed in 2021.
The redevelopment will see an extra tier added to both stands. In the Allen stand, this will be facilitated by the relocation of the scoreboard. In the Tavern stand, it will involve the introduction of a new cantilevered fourth floor seating level above the retained existing structure, which is extended back to the site boundary. The construction of the new stands will be completed in 2027, with scheduled pauses for cricket during the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
Robert Ebdon, MCC estates director, said: “The redevelopment of the Tavern and Allen stands will complete our stand development programme, in which we have modernised facilities at Lord’s to continue to ensure the Ground remains a world-class venue for cricket. The stands will also strengthen the club’s already-impressive sustainability credentials, and we are looking forward to the construction phase and working closely with our consultants Buro Happold, Gardiner & Theobold and Arcadis.”
Images: lords.org