Counties go for new facilities
The newly rebuilt stadium in Cardiff will be the perfect setting for the third npower Test in 2009 between England and Australia following their extensive redevelopment - just one of the many grounds being redesigned in the county game.
Work was completed in March 2008 and the ground can now boast a capacity of 16,000 with permanent floodlights that were installed during 2005.
As part of the redevelopment the Really Welsh Pavilion has 2,660 permanent seats and is situated between the National Cricket Centre and the site of the previous scoreboard while the new stand at the Cathedral Road End holds 3,494 seats on the lower level, with a new state-of-the-art Media Centre.
The new Corner Stand has over 2,000 seats and at the rear their are 120 car parking spaces for staff, players and officials and the new Riverside Stand will have new 674 seats in a single storey building and a new electronic scoreboard has been built at the back.
Meanwhile, two new stands have been erected at the river end - the Pontcanna and the Castle and in total 14,204 permanent seats have been added to the remaining 1,439.
Glamorgan chief executive Mike Fatkin said: "It has been a lot of hard work.
"For anybody who hasn't been down here for a couple of years, I guess it would be (a fantastic transformation). There is only really one building left standing.
"We said we were going to do it and it is nice to say we have done it."
Somerset began work at Taunton in January with over 3,000 new seats planned for the western side of the stand.
The River Stand has already come down in a two phases development that will cost in the region of £20 million. The first phase will include 65 luxury apartments for the over 55s, many with views over the cricket ground.
Taunton is in the process of a major facelift There will also be a new public space between the Taunton ground, the Brewhouse theatre and the river Tone which will be fronted by a restaurant and shops.
In total there will be three new spectator stands capable of seating nearly 3,000 spectators as well as a new scoreboard and facilities for ground staff. The spectator stands are due for completion in mid August, with the apartments set for March 2009.
Somerset chief executive Richard Gould said: "With the final hurdles having now been cleared the redevelopment can begin in earnest. This is an exciting time for Somerset cricket club and for Taunton.”
Marylebone Cricket Club members have given their backing to the redevelop of Lord’s.
They have drawn up proposals and are now seeking to engage an architect for the long-term project, which is expected to cost around £200 million.
The transformation will include the redevelopment of five stands - the Victorian pavilion is a listed building - over the next decade.
Changes are also afoot at the Brit Oval with a new spectator stand that will increase capacity by 1,862 to 24,862 while a 168 bedroom, 4 star Arora hotel is in the pipeline.
These developments will mean the demolition of the Lock, Laker and Peter May stands, and the Surrey Tavern.
David Wilson, Leicestershire’s president and former chairman of Wilson Bowden plc, will chair the club’s ground redevelopment group after a number of different options have emerged during the close season.
Leicestershire chairman Neil Davidson commented: “We are delighted that David Wilson, with all his development knowledge and experience, has agreed to chair the group and that Colin Maber and Steve Kind both readily agreed to join.
“Redeveloping the ground is vital to the commercial success of the Club if we are to generate increased revenues not only during the season but 52 weeks a year."
“The Mike Turner cricket centre aside, the buildings are generally very tired and we have to find a way of creating a modern cricket stadium at Grace Road."
Work has begun on the £8.2 million redevelopment project to expand the capacity of Trent Bridge and build more top-class facilities for players and spectators.
As well as building a new stand on the Bridgford Road side of the ground and adding seats elsewhere to raise capacity from 15,358 to more than 17,000, Nottinghamshire are also installing six permanent floodlights and building a new office block for match day officials and administration staff.
Plans are to expand the capacity at Trent Bridge Buy this photoThere will also be a new electronic scoreboard on the office block that will act as a replay screen during major matches.
The project is scheduled to be completed in time for this season's major matches at Trent Bridge, with the new stand open for the npower Test with New Zealand, starting on June 5, while the floodlights will be in use for the first time for the second NatWest Series one-day international against South Africa on August 26.
Essex's redevelopment should begin next year after the county exchanged contracts with the developers and local authority.
The ambitious plans allow for most of the existing ground to be rebuilt, with the capacity increasing by around 2000 to 8000.
New residential, retail, hospitality and banqueting facilities, together with an entrance piazza and river bridge to Central Park, will provide a much-needed regeneration.
A new multi-storey car park will replace the existing surface car parking facility at New Writtle Street, and the new Graham Gooch Cricket Centre will provide state of the art practice and coaching facilities.
Initial work might begin late in 2008 but, regardless of that, Essex will play home matches at Chelmsford for the next two seasons.
However, home cricket in 2010 will be taken to various outgrounds while the major work is completed at the site.
The stadium development is scheduled to be finished in December 2010 and will be fully operational for the 2011 season.
Warwickshire have confirmed that they are inviting parties to submit expressions of interest for involvement in its planned project to develop the famous Edgbaston site.
The club has recently appointed Savills as its lead adviser on the project, and they will be supervising the next phase of work on the site.
Warwickshire chief executive Colin Povey said: “We are developing a high quality scheme in an attractive location. In the current market conditions, it is important to ensure we have the best possible design options and have maximised the value of all elements within the planned scheme.”
Re-development at Cardiff © Andrew Hignell/Glamorgan Cricket Archives