Staplewood Campus, Southampton Football Club

Staplewood Campus is home to Southampton Football Club’s training grounds, and associated facilities for the First Team and Academy players. The site is bounded by a large woodland area to the south-east, designated as a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC). Located to the north-west of the site marks the boundary of the New Forest National Park.
Consent was granted for a single storey extension to the north-west of the Markus Liebherr Pavilion. The proposal includes a new gym, plus additional ancillary facilities which will be directly linked to the First Team changes facilities in the existing building. The new gym is an essential facility for the Club to train its First Team and Academy Squad at the site. As a result of the comprehensive submission put together by the project team, the application was approved under delegated powers.
Planning permission was granted for the installation of a single storey block modular building for use as a medical centre. The new improved facility allows the Club to treat players at the training ground, closer to where the Academy players train, enabling a rapid response to injuries as they occur, which aides recovery time.
Consent was granted for the installation of additional pole mounted cameras. The analytical cameras provide greater angles to analyse individual performance and aid player development. Although the application submission confirmed that the cameras would be fitted with privacy masks to ensure they do not have any impact on neighbouring residential amenity, concerns were raised by local residents. In response, PowerHaus Consultancy actively discussed with the case officer how to address the concerns. Further information on the privacy masks was submitted and permission was granted by Members at Committee.
Consent has recently been granted for the erection of a Family Café for visiting family members of scholars and players at the grounds to reduce the impact of supporting families and carers whilst waiting for training and matches to complete, with refreshments and a viewing platform over the nearest pitch.


