Luton target bolder stadium plans after top flight boost

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

Luton Town FC's new stadium plans will be "bigger, better, bolder" as a result of the club's season in the Premier League, the club's chief executive said.

The Hatters' relegation back to the Championship was confirmed on Sunday after one season back in the top flight.

Chief executive Gary Sweet said the club's plans for Power Court had been enhanced by "extra income".

Preliminary work on the stadium - which is being built on land next to Luton's railway station - has begun, with the target of it being open for the 2027-28 season.

Mr Sweet's comments featured in a question and answer session with Luton Town Supporters' Trust, which stated that the 2027-28 opening could be pushed back to 2028-29 if required, to avoid moving from the stadium on Kenilworth Road mid-season.

He said: "We completely understand certain frustrations and we are as anxious as anyone to get it [the new stadium] done and it’s not an easy question to answer [as to when it will be ready].

"There are so many complexities with a project like this, in a location like this, and at a time like this, including some outside of our control."

Mr Sweet cited Brexit, the war in Ukraine, "massive interest rate rises" and "[building] material costs rocketing sky high" as challenges for the project.

The stadium will have a capacity of 23,000, about a third of which will be safe-standing

Last week full plans were submitted to Luton Borough Council to reroute the River Lea as part of the proposals for the wider 17-acre (seven-hectare) site.

Mr Sweet said that "despite the obvious complications" with the site, it was the right location for a new stadium "because it’s right at the heart of our town centre, it’s where a football club should be".

The stadium had been due to open in three phases, with an initial capacity of about 17,500, but Mr Sweet said the financial boost of being a Premier League club has meant that Power Court will now open with its "maximum allowable capacity" of 23,000.

Current planning permission for the site - which was approved in 2019 - allows for the football stadium, up to 1,200 homes, as well as leisure, entertainment and community facilities.