Bats 1 Chelsea 0: Blues face tricky wingers
Abramovich’s plans for new stadium run into trouble over threat to wildlife
ROMAN ABRAMOVICH’S dream of a new Chelsea stadium has come up against an unlikely opponent — bats.
The football club’ s planned £500 million stadium, to be built on the site of its Stamford Bridge ground, is awaiting approval from Hammersmith and Fulham council.
But planners have ordered the Blues — recently joined by the aptly named striker Michy Batshuayi — to explain how the proposals will protect nearby Brompton cemetery before they give the go-ahead. As well as being Grade I listed, the cemetery is known for its wildlife and is home to a variety of bats. Species found in London include the noctule and the tiny pipistrelle.
Hammersmith and Fulham council said Chelsea’s environmental statement was “inconclusive” about the impact of construction works on the cemetery’s catacombs, trade magazine Building has revealed. In addition, it highlighted that “the Western Catacombs were identified as a potential hibernation roost” for the bats, and called for confirmation that “hibernation surveys” had been completed.
The council noted: “Little information is provided on the impacts of artificial lighting on bats and how this will be reduced by detailed lighting design.”
Next month The Royal Parks, which manages the cemetery, will host the Brompton Bat Walk where visitors “will work with experts, using echo location to track and identify bats as night falls”. A spokesman for the Bat Conservation Trust said: “Wildlife should be an integral part of any development process and planning authorities have a legal obligation to consider if bats are likely to be affected by a proposed development.”
In a letter to Chelsea’s property planning agent Aecom, the council also said :“Confirmation is required regarding the effects of vibration during construction on the west walls and catacombs of Brompton cemetery. [There is a] lack of detail and certainty over the phasing and demolition and construction programme.”
The proposals have been drawn up by Tate Modern architects Herzog & de Meuron. Chelsea declined to comment, but the council said: “As part of the normal planning procedures, we had requested some further information from the developers. That has now been submitted to us and once we have gone through all information provided, there will be a further round of public consultation.”