With there being no games for us to watch at the moment, we thought it would be good timing to show you the latest pictures from Plough Lane, which will become the new home of AFC Wimbledon later this year.
Good progress continues to be made at the Plough Lane stadium site, with the pitch continuing to be laid, the roof is on (apart from a couple of final panels) and the ground floor has now been cladded.
Joe Palmer, Chief Executive, said in a club statement:
Naturally, many of you want to know what is happening with the new stadium build - and when we will finally be able to move into Plough Lane. The new challenge we face as a nation in coping with COVID-19 means this is more difficult to definitively answer.
As it stands, construction work has still been progressing on our new home, following government guidance relating to the wider importance of continuing construction works, if done in accordance with the social distancing guidelines wherever possible.
The roof covering is completed, and cladding has been completed for the ground floor. The pitch foundations are well in place and should be fully ready by July, as planned. The workflow, however, has understandably slowed for a number of reasons.
Firstly, the guidelines for social distancing in the workplace, which are being strictly adhered to, mean fewer operators are on site working on particular tasks. Secondly, our constructors, the Buckingham Group, rely heavily on sub-contractors and the supply of crucial building materials and these have been heavily impacted as they slow down themselves.
In terms of financing the finished stadium build, whilst this remains challenging, we are in advanced discussions with a lender and will provide a separate update in the near future. Our completion date has been revised to accommodate these factors and we are now looking at October 23 - which was our original completion date. I say 'looking at' because I'm simply not in a position to give guarantees while so much remains unknown and that means of course, that this date could yet further change.
Progress continues apace at the Plough Lane site, with the pitch being laid, the roof is on and the ground floor has been cladded. Image, courtesy: AFC Wimbledon
Nick Marshall, Director, KSS, said:
The football might not be coming home for a few months, but KSS Design Group are really proud to have supported Buckingham Group Contracting Ltd with the full redesign and delivery of this landmark project for the Dons.
We look forward to completing the project soon and hope that we have given the club, trust and fans something to be proud of.
View the full gallery of images online at AFCWimbledon.co.uk
Images, courtesy: AFC Wimbledon
