Chelsea begin early talks over Cobham upgrade as statement issued

Chelsea are in early talks over plans to upgrade their training ground at Cobham, with confirmation provided by Elmbridge Borough Council.While no planning application has yet been submitted, discussions are now under way between the Premier League club and the constituent council where their Cobham base resides.Chelsea began training at Cobham in Surrey in 2005, a year after construction began. Work was completed in 2007.It was the club’s former owner, Roman Abramovich, whose investment went into Cobham two decades ago, but while it was considered a state-of-the-art training base then, it has since been surpassed by a number of Premier League rivals who have revamped their own facilities more recently.As well as the men’s first team, Chelsea’s women’s side and youth teams also train at Cobham.On Thursday, a statement was made by Elmbridge Borough Council to confirm that talks are under way in what represents the first time Chelsea’s plans to improve their training ground have been brought before an external stakeholder.The statement read: “We can confirm that pre-application discussions have taken place regarding Chelsea Football Club's training ground in Cobham.“Pre-application discussions are a normal part of the planning process. They allow applicants and planning officers to discuss emerging proposals before any formal planning application is submitted.“These discussions help identify planning issues, provide guidance on relevant policies and requirements, and do not indicate that any future application will be approved or supported.“No planning application has been submitted at this stage. If an application is received, it will be considered through the normal planning process, including public consultation, and assessed against relevant local and national planning policies.”Discussions with Elmbridge Borough Council are likely to help Chelsea identify potential areas of opposition as well as the prospective level of public support for their plans.