Chelsea are exploring the possibility of building a new 55-60,000-seater stadium at Battersea Power Station.
The club have made no decision to leave Stamford Bridge and
still needs to buy back the freehold of the famous ground before they
can move anywhere.
But they have appointed a London architecture firm to draw up plans for the relocation of 3.3 miles.
They are acting to make sure they do not miss out on the site should they choose to move from Stamford Bridge.
A Chelsea spokesman said: "In the past, we've talked to various
people with interests in Battersea Power Station, but we haven't had any
substantive discussions with anyone regarding that site for several
months.
"However, in light of current developments, we now think it
prudent to look again at the feasibility and potential for the BPS site
to be developed for a football stadium.
"We have made no decision to leave Stamford Bridge, and we
continue to discuss with the local council any economically viable
options to expand the the Bridge, but we will continue to investigate
various options close to Stamford Bridge."
The Blues have appointed Mike Hussey, chief executive of
Almacantar, as their development partner and have hired architecture
firm Kohn Pedersen Fox to draw up plans.
But they cannot move anywhere unless they sell the land at
Stamford Bridge and are trying to come up with a plan to persuade
Chelsea Pitch Owners to sell them the freehold after the supporter-led
company
rejected last month's offer.
Commenting on the latest development, the group said: "Given
that Battersea Power Station falls within the three mile radius as
originally set out in the recent proposal put by Chelsea FC to Chelsea
Pitch Owners, Say No CPO welcome the club's potential interest in
purchasing the site, as well as their continued efforts to explore
options regarding expansion of Stamford Bridge.
"We are, however, disappointed that the club did not take the
opportunity of the EGM on October 27 to make their intentions clearer
with regard to any potential relocation sites."
The club is still hoping to persuade the owners of Earls
Court to give them permission to build there but the prospects look
slim.
There could also be complications with the Battersea Power
Station site whose owners have been trying for a year to find an equity
investor to fund a proposed £5.5bn redevelopment.
Energy stopped being generated at the station in 1983, but
the site is still used for hosting events - one of the latest being the
ATP World Tour Finals Gala.
Or, as I say,
When pigs fly.