A detailed planning application for Luton Town’s new Power Court stadium, music venue and hotel is expected in six months, according to new proposed changes for the rest of the site, which have just been published.
The latest planning statement, entitled ‘Power Court, Re:Energised’, lays out changes to the River Lea plans, a new public plaza and an increase in homes from 550 in the original planning consent to 1,200.
Earlier this year, it was announced that the Hatters plan to play their first game in the new 17,500-seat arena in 2024. And while this latest planning application does not focus on this part of the Power Court site, the statement, from consultants WSP, on behalf of 2020 Developments – the Hatters’ property arm – says: ‘The club remains fully committed to delver the new stadium at Power Court’ with the proposals still including a music venue, hotel and other associated uses. It is expected that detailed proposals for the stadium area will be submitted in six months time’
Having originally gained outline planning consent in September 2019, the latest proposals focus on the east and west of the site, with changes including the introduction of a new, centrally located plaza within the site, that will be similar size to Saint George’s Square and billed as ‘a significant design improvement’, plus ‘a statement landmark taller building’.
While the currently underground River Lea will still be opened up through the site, the historic course of the water way will now not be altered.
The residential blocks will be supported by ground floor retail, food and beverage outlets, expected to create in excess of 375 jobs. There is also the inclusion of a health centre, while an education facility is also being considered.
The statement says: ‘Redeveloping Power Court to meet demand for housing, leisure uses and creating a new public plaza with the de-culverted River Lea as a focal point, will significantly improve the perception and appearance of the area. The proposals will transform this key site to an active, vibrant and attractive gateway to the town centre.’
It adds that Power Court ‘will rejuvenate and regenerate the town centre to the benefit of the local people, environment and economy. The current outline application has focused on creating a proposal that will benefit Lutonians and the new residents of Luton’s newest quarter.’
Regards the regenerative aspects, the statement says, ‘In addition to the direct benefits of new investment, jobs, sporting facilities and amenities for the town, this improvement in perception for the town will itself be a great catalyst for the wider renaissance of Luton over the coming decades.’
It adds that it will ‘generate a positive legacy for Luton, attracting businesses, boosting the tourism industry, enhancing the vibrancy and vitality of the wider town centre and supporting the local community’.
This will ‘help to create a better place for Luton people and, consequently, deliver a greater personal sense of pride and aspiration amongst Luton residents.’
A supermarket is still being proposed at this stage, though the statement says, ‘there is concern as to the demand from potential occupiers.’
WSP and 2020 Developments cite as reasons for concern, the granting of permission for a Lidl in The Mall, in the old M&S unit, and an Aldi store on the the former bowling green on Gipsy Lane, where the Hatters had originally hoped to have a domed training facility.
The Aldi application had been objected to by 2020 Developments last year on the basis that it would prevent the large food store at Power Court, which had already been granted planning consent in 2019.
The statement says, ‘There is no clear occupier for a footsore at this time, even if the floorspace is reduced, and the prospects are unlike to improve with the presence of these new stores.’
Last year, Hatters chief executive Gary Sweet had outlined that changes would need to be made to Power Court after the coronavirus pandemic began.
The WSP statement says, ‘Since the grant of consent, the world has changed considerately, with new challenges facing the property market and magnifying existing tendencies and trends. The outbreak of Covid-19 has brought unprecedented uncertainty and change to places in the UK and beyond, of which the long-term implications remain to be seen.
‘Whilst the pandemic changes the way in which we interact with environments in very obvious, physical ways, it has also had a relational impact on the market and investment decisions. In response to the change in market conditions, with the unwavering goal of ensuring the club’s vision is deliverable, review proposals are being submitted at both Power Court and Newlands Park.’
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