How the £11.5m Fratton Park redevelopment will benefit Portsmouth
A large-scale £11.5m redevelopment project is currently underway at Fratton Park.
The home of Portsmouth Football Club from 1899 has been under-construction since June 2021, with the end goal of increased capacity and health and safety facilities throughout the stadium.
The current focus is on converting the South Stand into one continuous tier.
Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson, leader of the Portsmouth City council, believes that the investment will help generate greater income for the football club: ‘The aim would be to take the capacity to 30,000.
‘We fill out 20,000 quite frequently and a 30,000 capacity would mean they would get significantly more income.’
Cllr Vernon-Jackson added: ‘When the football club is doing well you can see people walk taller, and there is real pride in the place.
When asked about the impact of the football club to the city, Cllr Vernon-Jackson responded: ‘It’s enormously important.
‘It’s good for the economy of the city and pulls people in.
‘It’s much, much wider than the direct economic benefit, they are a really important part of the community.’
It is hoped that the investment could drive a much-needed regeneration of the surrounding areas.
The Pompey Centre, which surrounds the ground, is also set for it’s own redevelopment, with the downsizing of B&Q to accommodate Aldi and Home Bargains.
Mark Shimeld, 52, from Lincoln Road, believes the area ‘would benefit from more footfall’ and would ‘attract more investors’ once the Fratton Park development has been completed.
He added: ‘I like the Pompey Centre, I use it a lot, I go to the B&Q and Tesco’s.
‘I think it could be improved as well.’
Mr Shimeld also stated that he believes Fratton could be more enticing to investors if it was regularly cleaned.
