Expansion plans announced for London cricket stadium

Surrey County Cricket Club (SCCC) is working on development plans, which could include steel-framed grandstands that would make its Kia Oval the largest cricket stadium in the UK with a capacity of 40,000.

The club aims to complete the project in time for the Ashes in 2023, with the centrepiece being a replacement for the Bedser Stand – that could add up to 8,000 seats – as well as an enlargement of the existing OCS Stand.

The ground currently has a capacity of 25,500, having already increased permanent capacity by 3,000 over recent years.

The Club already has planning permission for a large development next to the Pavilion, 1 Oval Square, which is also able to incorporate additional capacity and facilities.

Work could begin at the end of 2019, following on from the ICC Cricket World Cup, in which The Oval will host the opening game.

SCCC Chairman Richard Thompson said: “The time is now right for cricket to think on a bigger scale. This summer we have seen unprecedented levels of demand for cricket at the Kia Oval, whether it be for the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy, the 100^th Test which takes place in July, or to watch Surrey CCC in the NatWest T20 Blast.

“We need to build on this success and have a ground that can satisfy the unprecedented demand we have created.”