Blues owners aim to erect lion sculptures outside Stamford Bridge for £2MILLION

Chelsea's owners hope to continue their attempts to spruce up Stamford Bridge by erecting two giant lion sculptures outside the ground.

A number of cosmetic upgrades have been made to areas in and around the stadium since last summer's Todd Boehly/Clearlake Capital takeover last summer.

And now an application has been submitted to Hammersmith & Fulham Council for permission to erect one of the lion sculptures, as displayed on Chelsea's badge, on top of the security hut at the Britannia Gate and the other on a plinth at the Stamford Gate.

According to the application, they will be up to eight feet tall, on top of their planned locations. The exact cost of the scheme is unconfirmed.

A period of consultation is now under way which is open until next month with planning documents stating the new additions to Stamford Bridge's surroundings could be in place during November if permission is granted.

Explaining the project in the application, Chelsea said: 'Chelsea FC changed ownership in May 2022 and its new owners have made a commitment to upgrading the Stadium's facilities and appearance to positively transform the visitor experience.

'Consistent with this approach, this application proposes to install sculptures at the Britannia and Stamford Gates, which will refresh the appearance of the Stadium's entrances and draw upon the Club's long history with an innovative artistic design.'

The news comes weeks after the club was accused of 'penny-pinching' after scrapping subsidised coach travel for fans.

The Chelsea Supporters' Trust (CST) slammed the 'appalling' decision to remove a coach subsidy for travel to domestic away games after Chelsea announced it will remove the £10 coach subsidy for away games.

The decision drew a furious reaction from CST, which noted the club's largesse in the transfer window with an astonishing total of more than £1billion spent since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took over from Roman Abramovich 18 months ago.

'Breaking the British transfer record twice in a year is fine, but a £10 subsidised coach is where Chelsea draws the line,' it said in a post on social media.

Earlier this month, the Blues signed Moises Caicedo from Brighton in a deal worth a British record £115m, breaking the £105m record they had set in January when they signed Enzo Fernandez.

'It appears that during a cost-of-living crisis, Chelsea FC are happy to increase the financial burden on many supporters by penny-pinching,' CST said in a statement.