BDP to start next phases of Old Trafford

The Manchester studio of the architectural practice is set to deliver phases two and three of the redevelopment of Lancashire County Cricket Club's ground.

BDP designed the first phase The Point, a £12m conference and events venue which was completed and opened in July last year.

The cricket club won a Court of Appeal decision at the start of July which dismissed a judicial review plea from Albert Gubay's development company Derwent Holdings against Trafford Council's approval of the club's ground re-development plans.

Two new double tier stands will ensure Old Trafford cricket ground will have a permanent capacity of 15,000 seats, extendable to 25,000 with temporary seating for major matches, coupled with planned hospitality facilities as part of the club's overall £32m investment.

The new stands will be supplemented with support facilities for the media, players, education and the club's support staff.

The club's decision to reorient the wicket, which will now run north-south for the first time in 150 years, is creating additional international and county wickets along with a larger playing area.

The club has already started implementing its legal planning consent by moving ahead with the installation of four new 53m high floodlights.

The new ground design integrates a number of energy and resource efficiency measures including rainwater harvesting, solar collectors, and low energy lighting.

Gavin Elliott, chairman of BDP's Manchester studio, said: "We have worked very closely with the club to develop the design, which complements and extends the unique 'post-industrial' aesthetic already established with The Point.

"We didn't want to do a poor man's version of Lord's with white tents on the top of every building, and perpetuate that romantic notion of cricket on the village green, complete with cycling vicars and warm beer.

"Cricket isn't like that up here in the North West. It's more of a blue collar game, there's a different demographic and a different atmosphere. We wanted our design to reflect that.

"This will be extended to the other elements of the redevelopment, further reinforcing the specific architectural narrative which relates to the ground's post-industrial context and the changing face of 21st century cricket."

The development is part of the overall plans being led by Ask Developments, which includes a 100,000 sq ft Tesco food store fronting Chester Road near to the ground, bringing investment of at least £70m and over 500 jobs into parts of Trafford which suffer from low levels of economic activity and employment.

Construction work on the next phases is expected to begin in autumn this year, with completion due in 2013, ready for the Ashes series that summer.

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Nice quote from Gavin Elliott. Can anyone explain where the mahoosive Tesco is going to be built?

By Tim

Tesco will go on the grassed area just visable in the top left corner of the picture above.

By Solstice

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