Luton Town stadium river rerouting plans submitted

The Power Court stadium is due to be the centrepiece of a regeneration of a site next to Luton railway station

Full plans to reroute a river in order to build a new football stadium for Luton Town have been submitted.

A new route for the River Lea is a vital part of proposals to redevelop land at Power Court, next to Luton's railway station.

Plans for this process have been lodged with Luton Borough Council by 2020 Developments Limited, on behalf of Luton Town FC.

Outline consent was granted in 2019 for a mixed-use development on the land, with the football stadium at its heart.

The stadium will have a capacity of 19,500, about a third of which will be safe-standing

“This represents a crucial step in delivering Power Court with the stadium, commercial space and much-needed housing,” said Sean McGrath, director of professional services firm WSP.

He said the wider 17-acre (seven-hectare) site at Power Court had "complex constraints, which make its redevelopment challenging".

These include contamination, services running through the location, a substation, the topography and the route of the culverted River Lea.

“Works are necessary to the River Lea to ensure commercial and residential developments can progress," he said.

“The works will require detailed engineering and hydraulic modelling, which will be agreed with the Environment Agency.

“Talks have begun, but it could be some time before the final course and form of the river is fully understood," he said.

Current planning permission for the site allows for the football stadium, up to 1,200 homes, as well as leisure, entertainment and community facilities.

The detailed proposals for the stadium will be subject to a further planning application.

Luton Borough Council's development management committee is expected to consider the project in due course.