Picture exclusive: Plan for Lord’s to expand to 30,000 seats by 2021

Marylebone Cricket Club recently submitted planning application for its new Compton and Edrich Stands at the Nursery End of Lord's Cricket ground.

As this exclusive picture shows, the proposals take the stands from being two-tier to three and will increase the capacity of the ground by 2,500 to over 30,000. They were designed by London-based architects WilkinsonEyre, who designed the redevelopment of Battersea Power Station. The design includes a connecting walkway, with a view of the Nursery Ground, between the stands under the Media Centre.

As part of the MCC’s updated masterplan, the Nursery End of the ground is due to be redesigned in between 2025 and 2027.

A response to the application is expected in the New Year and, if MCC members approve the plans at their AGM in May, the work will begin after August’s Ashes Test. By then, Lord’s will have hosted the Cricket World Cup final and England’s first Test match against Ireland next summer. The new stands are expected to be completed by 2021.