Chelsea's proposed £2bn renovation of Stamford Bridge will move a step closer

Chelsea's £2billion renovation plans for Stamford Bridge have received a boost as a timeline has begun to emerge for proposed construction works.

The club has eyed redevelopment of their west London home in various different forms over the past ten years, first under Roman Abramovich, and under new owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, with funds for the rebuild put aside as part of their £4.25bn acquisition of the club in May 2022.

Mail Sport reported in July that Chelsea had agreed a deal in principal for the site of homes of military veterans next to the sale that would see the Premier League outfit buy most of the two-acre Sir Oswald Stoll Mansions site which backs onto their stadium.

Should the club acquire the land - which is owned by veterans' charity Stoll - the sale could pave the way for a full-scale rebuild of the stadium on the existing footprint to increase the stadium's capacity from 42,000 to at least 55,000.

But Chelsea will be eagerly awaiting the results of a nine-week consultation put to Stoll's residents this Wednesday, which in turn will inform the decision of the charity's board of trustees in early October.

As per the Evening Standard, Chelsea beat 13 rivals bids to secure the site after it was publicly listed for sale with estate agents Knight Frank.

The deal would see Stoll keep 20 flats on the site - which has an estimated value of £50m - and spend the money on new homes for veterans with better facilities.

The charity opted in favour of the land sale in lieu of a full refurbishment of their properities, which would have cost the organisation £10million.

But the club could see opposition from the nearly 100 military pensioners whose homes would be at risk under the sale, as well as from Fulham Medical Centre, a GP surgery on the site.

The practice has launched a 'save our surgery' campaign since the announcement of the deal in the principal nine weeks ago, arguing that over 6,500 patients would be left without local care.

Upon agreeing the deal in principal, Stoll's chair of trustees Ray Lock said that the decision to go with Chelsea's bid lay in the club's proposed support 'for Stoll and its residents'.

The club were also said to be aware of 'the importance of continuing to have a positive impact on veterans' lives for generations to come.'

Chelsea are not thought to have finalised plans to either redevelop on-site or to decide to relocate, with both options set to be put to the Chelsea Pitch Owners further to Stoll's decision.

The supporters group own the freehold of Stamford Bridge as well as Chelsea's name, and Boehly and Clearlake Capital will need the approval of 75 per cent of the group's shareholders for any plan they will look to greenlight.

Chelsea's relationship with the association sparked controversy in 2018 when we revealed former owner Abramovich made a secret payment to Stoll thought to be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The charity then kept nearly 30 of its flats empty instead of providing homes for vulnerable former soldiers, a move which it is believed would have smoothed Abramovich's plans for a new stadium, which were eventually paused after the Russian magnate's decision to scrap his UK visa application.

Should Chelsea decide to move away from Fulham Road, they could be met with ire from their fans, who were firmly against earlier plans to relocate to Battersea Power Station.

But with a stand-by-stand redevelopment in SW6 seen as financially unviable, the Blues would have to play away from home for a number of seasons.

Should the supporters be in favour of site redevelopment, construction of the new stadium would likely take five years from when planning permission is granted by Hammersmith and Fulham Council - which could provide further challenges.

Twickenham was previously floated as an option for temporary hosting duties., although the RFU are thought to be reluctant to host the side, with Wembley and Fulham's nearby Craven Cottage also discussed.