Luton Town's Power Court set to move a step closer tonight...

If Luton Town Football Club’s proposals to construct a new stadium with a capacity of 25,000 are granted tonight

(Monday), one of England’s most iconic football stadiums would be a step closer to going extinct.

The Hatters are looking to move to Power Court, which is near the town centre, from their historic home on

Kenilworth Road.

One tiny step for the staff and fans, one huge step for a team that nearly collapsed in the summer of 2003 and made

it through a turbulent few years after the team was eliminated from the Football League due to consecutive point deductions.

In 2008, the Hatters’ real estate company, Applicant 2020 Developments (Luton) Limited, assumed control of Luton

Town. The club was purchased by the fan-backed consortium from.

The company’s clear investment strategy was to build a new stadium and regenerate the locality sustainably.

Whether 2020 was the end date target is now a historical footnote, ahead of this evening’s borough council

development management committee meeting.

Getting this close to delivering on its promise to supporters is an achievement in itself, not to mention last season’s

lucrative Premier League campaign which put the club in the international spotlight and attracted worldwide admiration.

When the Newlands Park Luton gateway project was approved in March 2019, enabling Power Court to progress,

Hatters’ chief executive Gary Sweet described it as “a little bit surreal, really”.

The hybrid application has been recommended for approval by the local authority’s planning department. It contains

a mixed-use development with the stadium and other facilities, and an updated outline submission for a music venue and hotel.

The mixed-use element includes spectator and media facilities, conference rooms, food and beverage outlets and

commercial area, community space, and works to the River Lea.

A music venue, a hotel and associated works feature in the outline application, with interim use of the podium for the

music venue as a fan zone.

Eight representations have been received with concerns around flooding, contamination, the setting of St Mary’s

Church, traffic, parking and access, the culverting of the River Lea, lighting and noise, according to a report to the

planning committee.

Buildings and structures have been demolished at Power Court, while the River Lea flowing underground through a

culvert dissects the site, said the report.

Outline planning permission was granted in September 2019 for the redevelopment of the 21-acre Power Court site.

Its past uses have included a power station, boiler and engineering works and a fire station.

In September 2022, an additional outline application was granted, increasing the number of housing units on the

site from 550 to 1,200. It also included highway upgrades, a health centre, retail and community uses, and food and drink outlets.

According to a planning statement by the expert services consulting firm WSP, “Power Court’s development is a

significant catalyst to drive regeneration in Luton town centre.”

Residents and tourists will be able to congregate in a new public plaza that will be created by the deculverting of the

River Lea and related landscaping. This new area will become even more lively thanks to the stadium’s focal point and the other town centre uses.

Luton Town’s Power Court set to move a step closer tonight – if plans are approved