House-builder Steve Morgan has unveiled plans for a different kind of project – a £40 million redevelopment of Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Molyneux Stadium.
Morgan, who is chairman of house-builder Redrow plc, took over ownership of the football club in 2007.
Chief executive Jez Moxey promised fans that the new stadium would not be “a crinkly tin development”. Instead it would be “built with the tradition and heritage of the club very much in mind, which will create a legacy quite different to most of the facilities built recently”.
The plan is to bring the stands closer to the pitch to create an intimidating atmosphere for visiting teams. The current Stan Cullis and Jack Harris stands are 13 metres from pitchside. In the new stadium this will be reduced to 6.5 metres.
The new stadium has been developed by architect AFL.
The first phase sees the Stan Cullis (North) Stand being demolished at the end of next season, to be replaced by a two-tier stand that extends into the open northeast corner. This would include the club shop, museum and cafe.
In phase two, the Steve Bull (East) Stand will be rebuilt in time for the start of the 2014/15 season. By this stage, capacity will have been increased from 29,000 to 36,000.
Assuming the fan base remains solid, the third phase would see the Jack Harris (South) Stand would be rebuilt to take capacity up to 38,000.
There are also draft plans for a fourth phase that would see the Billy Wright (West) Stand rebuilt to increase capacity to 50,000. However, the club is seeking planning permission only for the first three phases at this stage.
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