The River Lea has been successfully re-routed through the Power Court site in a major milestone for Luton Town’s new stadium development.
The switch means water is now flowing in a new channel around the edge of the 20-acre site in the heart of the town centre.
The river diversion also marks the first visible piece of progress for many fans who have followed the long planning process. With the substation removal due next week, the groundwork for Luton Town’s long-awaited new home is now firmly in place.
“So today we’ve, effectively stopped up the old river. And now water is now flowing down the new channel around the edge of the site,” Michael Moran, chief operating officer of 2020 Developments, told BBC Three Counties Radio.
Moran stressed the scale of the task, that it has taken: “Many, many years of planning and work with the Environment Agency to get to this point. We’ve done a ton of ground investigations, all these kind of engineering works. And now the water is flowing down its new [route].”
The river diversion removes one of the final barriers to construction of the 25,000-seater stadium in Luton town centre.
“The river was one of the key impediments,” Moran said. “The other is a big, UK Power Network substation. By diverting the river, we can then remove the shell of the substation – that happens next week. It’s all cables are gone. It’s all ready to go. And then we’ve got a flat site ready to start piling.”
Piling work to create deep foundations for the stadium superstructure will follow, taking around six months.
“We’ve got to go 20 plus metres in the ground with a couple of hundred piles to support the stadium superstructure,” Moran explained. “But around Easter, summertime, that’s when physical structures going up will start to be apparent.”
He acknowledged the intense local interest in the project, adding: “Ultimately we want to work with supporters’ dreams and ambitions, and that’s why we chose the site that we did. We believe, and I think supporters believe, it’s the right thing to do to put the stadium back in the heart of the town.”
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