Leyton Orient have unveiled plans to build what they say will be a “world-class” stadium as part of a new sports complex in East London.
The plans for the complex, which is set to be zero carbon and energy efficient, is said to match the ambitions of the club with a stadium that provides a serious increase in capacity as the side look to break into the Championship.
Orient’s CEO, Mark Devlin acknowledged it was not possible to increase capacity and revenue at their current home of Brisbane Road.
“With a bit of creative thinking we might have been able to creep up to 12, 13, maybe even 14,000 capacity – it was more likely to be around the 13,000 mark,” he told BBC Radio London.
“It was clear that to achieve our aspirations, we couldn’t achieve it, sadly, on the current site. That was always our first wish.”
Whilst it is clear that they will have to move a little closer from home, the club hope to remain as close to the Leyton area has possible.
The O’s have been at Brisbane Road since 1937 but with a capacity of 9,271 may fall below Orient’s ambitions.
A Home to Match Orient’s Ambition
The club and the London Borough of Waltham Forest have signed a memorandum of understanding in relation to this project in the hopes of creating a complex that stays in Leyton and benefits not only the O’s but the community of area too.
“They’ve made it very clear they would like us to stay in the borough and at this moment in time we’ve only really looked at sites within Waltham Forest,” added Devlin.
“In an ideal world we want to stay close to our heart, which is Leyton.”
Shortly before Richie Wellen’s Orient fell short in the play off final at Wembley, the club was taken over by GSG LOFC, a consortium led by David Gandler.
It is Gandler who has spearheaded this project, alongside the council, in order to upgrade everything in and around the football club.
“We are committed to building upon the club’s inspiring history and its legacy as a beacon of hope in our diverse and vibrant community,” Gandler told the club website.
“Another key element of the vision is sustainability: a zero-carbon development that is energy efficient and committed to urban greening and biodiversity net gain,”
“A new campus may include publicly accessible green spaces and pedestrian/cycle links to the wider area, in line with the council’s ambitions. This focus ensures the project will be both resilient and welcoming for all.”
At this stage there is no timeline for the project but as is procedure, Orient has promised continued dialogue with the local community and supporters as they push forward into finding and creating their new home.
