For generations, New Road has been one of the most iconic grounds in English and world cricket and it will remain an important part of Worcestershire County Cricket Club’s future. However, flooding and the wider sustainability challenges of operating on a riverside site does create disruption and uncertainty as well as significant costs and the Club must plan responsibly to build long-term resilience in how we stage cricket and deliver year-round activity.

Project Elgar has therefore been established to explore the feasibility of an additional venue alongside New Road. We believe this venue can provide greater operational certainty, help safeguard the Club’s long-term sustainability, and support our wider ambitions on and off the field, while New Road continues to play a key role in the Club’s identity and operations.

The Club has now appointed a consultant team to support the next phase of work, bringing together AFL Architects, IPW…, Gardiner & Theobald and CBRE to undertake a rounded, multi-disciplinary assessment. This Phase 1 programme will assess the feasibility of the additional venue project and, subject to the findings, support the Club in reaching a determination in principle on a preferred option, informed by evidence on design fit, deliverability, costs and commercial sustainability.

What Phase 1 will involve

Over the last 12 months, the Club has worked with specialist consultants to identify potential land opportunities for an additional venue. In total, more than 40 sites and land parcels have been reviewed, and this work has now been refined to two shortlisted geographic options, which remain confidential at this stage.

The Club recognises that members and supporters will naturally want to know more, but it is important that the locations are not identified publicly while this Phase 1 work is underway. This is to ensure the process remains fair and robust, to avoid creating unnecessary speculation or concern in the local communities that may be affected, and to protect the Club’s ability to undertake due diligence and discussions with landowners and stakeholders in a way that does not prejudice negotiations, planning considerations or overall value for the Club.

Phase 1 will now focus on testing these two shortlisted options in detail, and producing an initial feasibility position covering:

1 | Design feasibility and the emerging brief (AFL Architects)

AFL’s role is to interrogate and refine the brief, carry out site analysis across the two options, and develop spatial block plans to illustrate how the preferred facility mix could work in practice. This includes engagement with key stakeholders and ensuring the work aligns with the wider masterplan context.

2 | Options appraisal, benefits and operational/commercial case (IPW…)

IPW… will lead the options appraisal workstreams that sit alongside the design testing, including:

Exploration of complementary uses
A review of matchday and non-matchday commercial implications, including headline P&L considerations, compared with the status quo
Assessment of placemaking and value-add benefits to the surrounding areas for each option  
Review of deliverability and risk-mitigation solutions

3 | Independent cost planning (Gardiner & Theobald)

Gardiner & Theobald will provide RIBA Stage 1 cost management, including cost estimates for both options based on the Stage 1 design information produced by AFL, and option-costing for alternate designs to support the emerging brief.

4 | Property, title, enabling value and delivery/funding workstreams (CBRE)

CBRE’s work will dovetail into the wider team’s assessment and focus on key commercial principles which could influence delivery of a new facility, and secondly whether there is any opportunity to generate value from a potentially reduced footprint at New Road to support delivery of a new facility.

Timescales and outputs

Subject to stakeholder availability and external inputs, the Stage 1 programme is expected to run for around four months, preceded by a short mobilisation period, and will culminate in a consolidated Stage 1 reporting pack to support the Club’s next decisions.

At the conclusion of Phase 1, the Club expects to be in a position to share an update on the key findings, including the overall feasibility position and the rationale for any determination in principle on a preferred option for an additional venue.

This will be communicated publicly and also directly with members, including a summary of the work undertaken, the headline conclusions, and the next steps in the Project Elgar process (noting that some commercially sensitive or confidential details may remain restricted at that stage).

Funding the work

The Club can confirm that the professional fees for this Phase 1 work are being covered by the Club’s Gemini proceeds generated from the Hundred sale.

Dave Baker, Club Vice Chair and Chair of the Masterplan & Development Committee, said: “Project Elgar is about safeguarding the long-term future of Worcestershire County Cricket Club. New Road will remain a hugely important part of our identity and our operations, but the reality of flooding and the uncertainty it does create means we have to plan responsibly and build greater resilience for the years ahead.

“Over the last 12 months we’ve taken a thorough, evidence-led approach, reviewing more than 40 potential sites and land parcels, to reach two shortlisted options. This Phase 1 work is about testing those options properly: how a venue could fit, what it could include, what it would cost, how it would operate year-round, and what it would take to deliver it.

“We understand supporters and members will want more detail, but keeping the locations confidential at this stage is important to protect local communities from unnecessary speculation and to ensure we can carry out due diligence and stakeholder discussions in a fair way that delivers best value for the Club.

“Importantly, the professional fees for this phase are being covered by the Club’s Gemini proceeds from the Hundred sale without impacting membership or ticket prices or reducing the playing budget. We will share the headline findings at the end of Phase 1 and keep everyone updated as we reach key milestones.”