Southend United: Long-awaited football stadium plans approved

A plan for Southend United's new 22,000-seater stadium, first submitted four years ago, has been granted planning permission.

Southend Council councillors voted almost unanimously in favour of the development at Fossetts Farm on Monday.

Almost 1,500 homes will also be built on the site, in the north of the town that has been granted city status.

Club owner Ron Martin said the new stadium "would fulfil Southend United's ambitions for the next 100 years".

The 27-hectare (67-acre) site around Fossetts Farm, which includes Southend United's current training grounds, is mostly undeveloped green belt land.

The new stadium will include a 107 bed hotel and at two corners, will have high-rise residential blocks of 182 homes.

A fan plaza with cafes and bars is also planned and 30% of the 1,461 homes proposed on the wider Fossetts Farm site are allocated to be affordable.

The club's current home at Roots Hall will be redeveloped into 502 new homes for rent once it has relocated.

Local resident Peter Walker opposed the plans at the authority's development control committee meeting, raising environmental and traffic concerns.

"The club has absolutely no need for a stadium any larger than Roots Hall," he said.

"It has been many years since Southend United regularly drew crowds in excess of 5,000."

The Blues dropped out of the Football League for the first time in 101 years last May.

The decision on the club's stadium will next go to the government for approval.

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