DETAILED: How next stage of £15m redevelopment will improve Fratton Park
Pompey chief executive Andy Cullen confirmed to The News on Wednesday the next chapter of redevelopment work at Fratton Park will take investment on the Blues home through the £15m barrier. As the new South Stand gantry nears completion, Cullen has now broken down exactly what the next chapter breathing new life into the grand, old girl will entail.
‘We’ve got a massive crane on the pitch at the moment, but the South Stand gantry is now starting to look really good.
‘We’re starting to see the truss work become exposed at the top, so that’s brilliant. It’s going to really enhance the look and feel of the stadium and complement the Archibald Leitch truss as well.
‘That’s on course to be completed in the next couple of weeks - and we’ll then move on to doing the pitch. Obviously that’s a bit later than we’d ordinarily do it with a crane on the middle of the pitch, but when the crane comes off we can get on with that.
‘That’s why we don’t have any home pre-season this year, we just don’t have enough time for the grass to grow - but it will be ready for the first game of the season.
‘We have a new small gantry going into the Fratton End, meaning we have a minimum six camera coverage. We’ve had four this season in League One, when most have one. All Championship games will have six cameras.
‘Then we’ve got the mezzanines in the North Stand.
‘We brought the matchday experience working group up to date with that last week when they came in to meet the club.
‘That means we now have a mezzanine on the upper floor, which stretches all the way from the Fratton End of the North Stand to the far mezzanine by the Milton End.
‘Several new bathrooms and toilets have gone in to satisfy the increased demand for food and drink in the stadium, which is fantastic.‘A new bar has been created in that mezzanine and Piglet’s Pantry are bringing up their pergola to do their food there, too. That’s all quite exciting.
‘New toilets are going into the home section of the Milton End as well to ease some of the congestion supporters faced at the end of last season.
‘Then there’s the Victory Lounge which has a massive refurbishment going on, which will commence in the middle of the July. We have a few weddings, once those are done we’ll commence work on that and that’s a project which will take us through to the middle of August.
‘The Victory will be partly in operation for the early home games in August, so that will be available to supporters.
‘That work should be completed by the end of August, then we go to the outside and enhance the fanzone through September.
‘It’s a big project over four to five months, obviously on the work which is going on at the training ground as well - and it’s all quite exciting.’