Chelsea have been given permission to redevelop Stamford Bridge by their local council.
A planing application submitted over a year ago was finally accepted in a meeting last night which will prove to be one of the most significant moments in the club’s history.
In the end the vote was unanimous, as Hammersmith and Fulham council approved the new design and praised many of its features.
There are still various hurdles in the club’s way before any work can begin, and the final say will rest with London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
But this was perhaps the biggest obstacle, and the stadium rebuild now looks odds on to go ahead.
The new stadium, with its iconic design, will hold 60,000 spectators. This is a significant increase on the current 41,000, and will bring the Blues into line with rivals Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester City in terms of capacity.
The new estimate for its opening date is the start of the 2018-2019 season. The one question that still remains to be answered is where we will play in the meantime…
