Chelsea stadium redevelopment plans approved by local council as they look to turn Stamford Bridge into 60,000-seat arena

CHELSEA received a huge boost in their plans to redevelop Stamford Bridge after being granted approval by the local council.

Hammersmith and Fulham's planning committee held a lengthy meeting on Wednesday night before their unanimous approval after 10pm.

The Blues must now wait for Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to endorse their proposals before they can get down to expanding Stamford Bridge into a 60,000-seat stadium.

Chairman Bruce Buck attended the meeting in which it was revealed that more than 12,000 postcards from fans as far away as Nigeria and The US were sent in support of the £500 million project.

A club statement read: "We are grateful that planning permission was granted for the redevelopment of our home.

"This is just the latest step, although a significant one that we have to take before we can commence work."

The council meeting lasted almost three hours as arguments from both sides were heard.

With Tottenham’s stadium due to be upgraded to a 61,000 seat stadium and Arsenal now in to their 10th year at the Emirates, Chelsea know they have to increase Stamford Bridge to keep up their image as one of the biggest teams in the Premier League.

Even their rivals in the north have expanded their capacity in recent years with Liverpool's Main Stand redevelopment taking Anfield's capacity up to 54,000, while Manchester City added another tier onto one stand at the Etihad.

Stamford Bridge's current capacity currently stands at 42,000 and with the increase to 60,000 comes a new look for the famous old ground.

The design has been lauded as ''unique architectural solution'',and would create a ''significant sporting venue''.

The Blues will probably look for a similar deal to what Tottenham have struck with Wembley whilst their ground is redeveloped.

Speaking ahead of the meeting on Wednesday, case officer John Sanchez said: ''The design has met the demands of a potentially difficult brief and builds upon the historic context of previous stadia on the site.''

Sanchez added: “The resulting design is a high quality piece of design and a unique architectural solution.

"It would have the landmark qualities of a significant sporting venue with a clear identity and would declutter and unify the site."