A tantalising first glimpse of what is to come with Luton Town Football Club’s Power Court stadium plans have emerged, highlighting the efforts the club have gone to in creating a new 17,500-seat home that won’t be a much-hated ‘soulless bowl’.
The chief operating officer of 2020 Developments – the Hatters’ property arm – Michael Moran, was addressing Luton Council’s first ever annual Luton 2040 conference, with the theme of Levelling Up Luton, and presenting a short fly through artist’s impression video of the major town centre regeneration project, which will be home to the club’s new 17,500-seat stadium.
In the series of short videos shared on social media, Moran can be seen narrating over the top of images of the stadium, saying: “We want that sense of expectation, a sense of theatre when fans and supporters arrive at the ground.
“We have two key design characteristics. One is four individual stands, each with their own character and design. It’s not the easiest way to do it, it’s not the cheapest way to do it, but we think it’s really important.
“Equally, our halo, our lighting, it’s not suspended in mid-air. There is some suspension, but effectively it will be invisible to the naked eye.”
Luton Town are due to submit a detailed planning application on the Power Court stadium early next year, which was confirmed by chief executive Gary Sweet when he addressed the council’s Development Management Committee last month, where approval was granted for changes to the remained of the site. Plans are still for spades in the ground to begin construction in 2022, with the Hatters to play their first game there from 2024.
Ever since the Power Court plans were unveiled in 2016, the proposals have always been about more than just football, with the aim to open up the site for use all year round, with bars, restaurants, homes and the uncovering of the River Lea, which currently flows underground, through a man-made culvert.
Speaking at the Levelling Up Luton conference, over images looking out from the stadium of St Mary’s Church, Moran added of the additional benefits of the Power Court scheme, that, “this is to emphasise the opportunity of an urban stadium. Having that dual aspect, football, as critical as it is to everyone’s life, it is only 25 games a year at only a couple of hours at a time.
“So, all of that infrastructure and all of that investment into the town centre, we’re fully aware that we’ve got to make use of that and activate the site, 365 days of the year.”
Moran can also be seen talking about the 20-acre site, where the River Lea will be a key “centre piece”, while an open Power Court square will be equivalent to St George’s Square.
