By Adam Ellis
Ongoing works to an aging Fratton Park could leave the promoted League Two outfit with a £5million bill, the club has announced.
A series of health & safety reports have left the supporter Trust-owned club vulnerable to possible sanctions, reduced capacity, and the worst-case scenario of the closure of Fratton Park.
However, the club has developed a first phase of measures to be taken in order to meet the new compliance and affirmed their commitment to modernising their 119-year-old stadium.
“The board met last week with the club’s independent property consultant to review a number of recent specialist reports, including a draft Structural Assessment prepared in accordance with the provisions of ‘the Green Guide’ (a regulatory guide produced by the government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport), and then specifically to agree a short and medium-term Fratton Park stadium strategy,” a statement posted on portsmouthfc.co.uk said.
“As you will be aware, the board – and subsequently stakeholders – have been advised by their specialist stadium H&S consultant of a £5million ‘order of costs’ required to achieve stadium compliance at Fratton Park.”
Initial works are set to begin later this month, but Portsmouth have only £900,000 available for the project meaning the club need to find £4.1million.
The prospective takeover by ex-Walt Disney executive Michael Eisner is set to gather pace this week when he arrives in the UK with his son to held further talks with Pompey.
The 75-year-old multi-millionaire entered into an exclusivity agreement with Pompey Supporters’ Trust and the club’s shareholders in March, as talks progressed without a hitch.
Eisner will hold talks in the coming days with Portsmouth before speaking publicly at the city’s Guildhall on Thursday (4 May).
The club will then make details of the proposed takeover open to the public in a ballot for supporters to vote on approving or rejecting, with a final decision to be made on 19 May.
