Frustrated Palace fans wonder if stadium plan will ever be realised

CRYSTAL Palace supporters are beginning to doubt whether the long-promised Selhurst Park redevelopment will ever happen, as the project faces fresh delays and a ballooning price tag now expected to top £200million.

- By HARRISON GALLIVEN Local democracy reporter

Croydon Council first granted the club planning permission in principle to overhaul the Main Stand seven years ago. Yet, despite early groundwork starting last summer, the main construction has yet to begin. Originally due for completion by 2021, the scheme has been plagued by rising costs, planning hurdles, and funding uncertainty. Recent reports by Bloomberg and The Athletic revealed the project, once expected to cost £100m, is now likely to exceed £200m.

Sources close to the project say inflation in building material prices and complicated funding talks are to blame. While Palace’s chairman Steve Parish hoped to avoid taking on the full debt by mixing loans with shareholder cash, ongoing uncertainty around US investor John Textor’s stake has added more delays.

Despite the club's insistence that the project is still alive and talks between shareholders are ongoing, fans are growing frustrated.