The owner of FC Chelsea Roman Abramovich has long intended to build a new home stadium for the club and a year ago received a building permit, signed by the mayor of London. "I am sure that this new stadium will become a pearl in the sports crown of London and attract visitors and football fans from all over the world," said the head of the city, Sadik Khan, commenting on this decision.
The capacity of the arena will be 60,000 people, and investments initially estimated at £ 500,000 are likely to exceed £ 1 billion (the stadium may become the most expensive in Europe).
Nevertheless, the billionaire had to face an unexpected problem - to build a new Stamford Bridge can prevent the British family, whose house is located in close proximity to the sports facility. The Krostveit family lives in this cottage for about 50 years, and it is so close to the stadium that, according to the BBC, they could play football right from the doorstep of their house.
The family, consisting of two adults and two children, sued, indicating that one of the walls of the arena would cast a shadow on their house, because of which there would be little light. They also believe that the erection of the facility will have "unacceptable and harmful" impact on this area. In May, the Krostwaites obtained from the High Court of London a ban that would threaten the construction of the arena.
The BBC indicates that the house is located in the expensive part of West London, and a similar facility on the same street last year was sold for £ 1.18 million. According to The Sun, the family requires the FC to compensate £ 20 million.
The club, in turn, claims that they conducted public consultations with local residents (about 13,000 people) and secured 97.5% of them, and also compensated those homeowners who initially opposed the construction of the stadium.
Chelsea also claims that the new stadium will improve the level of "economic, social and cultural services" they provide, in particular, they plan educational programs for £ 6 million, and £ 7 million will be spent on improving local infrastructure.
The final point in this dispute has not yet been raised, but Chelsea have already informed the city council of Hammersmith and Fulham that work will not continue until there is a risk that the court will side with their opponents. The meeting of the council took place on January 15, and the state body decided to support the football club, which in fact makes the Supreme Court's prohibition void, Evening Standard points out. Local authorities rent the land next to Stamford Bridge, and then rent it to the club. This means that Krostwaite will be able to receive compensation, but will not be able to prevent the construction of the stadium.