The club’s plans for the next phase of Portman Road’s development are now available via Ipswich Borough Council’s Planning Portal and reveal that the new pitch will be a little longer than it is at present and will be raised on one side.

Town announced the new plans, which include the long-required improvements to the pitch and new turnstiles, at the end of last month.

The club began work on improving the ground last summer with a big screen installed, a new access point in the corner between the Cobbold Stand and the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand and new dugouts.

The new plans, drawn up by local architects Hoopers, a long-time partner of the club, for the second phase have three principal elements.

Provision of new turnstile access and egress from the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand via the land the club purchased to the south of the stadium last year, demolition of the existing turnstiles to the east and west of the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand and the new Desso [hybrid natural grass and artificial fibre] playing surface, including plant and equipment for the provision of pitch irrigation, surface water attenuation and undersoil heating.

The plans submitted to IBC indicate that the width of the pitch - which is currently 66m wide by 102m long - is to increase by 40mm and will be longer, moving closer to both end stands, more towards the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand.

The dimensions of the new pitch will be around 66m x 106m, although that isn’t stated. The halfway line will now be between the home and away dugouts, having been off-centre for some years.

The whole pitch moves slightly towards the Cobbold Stand, while the boundary Astroturf, which is being replaced, will be narrower than at present with more grass around the edge of the pitch.

The plans, which feature a reworked club badge from a TWTD Blog in their Design and Access Statement in error, state that the surface will also be raised slightly on the Cobbold Stand side: “The opportunity will be taken to create a more level surface. The pitch currently slopes down from west to east, as such the pitch will be lifted on the east side accordingly.

“This will provide a surface which plays better, drains better and gives some improvement to sight lines on the east side of the stadium.”

The plans can be viewed here.

Thanks to TWTD Forum poster Muncher for his help with this story.

Photos: Hoopers

matt92 added 17:10 - Nov 5 Phil, on the link to the "Design and access statement" - you've linked to a local file on your own computer, so we can't see it!
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arc added 17:11 - Nov 5 Really interesting stuff–thanks, Phil and Muncher. The attention to detail by the new owners is impressive.
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AlanG296 added 17:26 - Nov 5 Hope any change in the dimensions of the pitch does not adversely affect the sightlines from the seats.
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monkeymagic added 17:27 - Nov 5 The application form for these construction plans has been completed by a “Rich Carpenter”. Is this an in joke?
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johnwarksshorts added 17:50 - Nov 5 Looks great.
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PhilTWTD added 17:59 - Nov 5 matt92 Ah, the IBC system isn't allowing direct links, so I've removed them. All available via the link at the end.
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PhilTWTD added 18:00 - Nov 5 monkeymagic Rich Carpenter is the club's new head of operations. Town Appoint Head of Operations 5th Oct 2022 19:14 Town have appointed a new head of operations, Rich Carpenter, who previously worked the Commonwealth Games and before that Liverpool, Aston Villa and West Brom. 21
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trulyblue added 18:44 - Nov 5 Lengthening the pitch from 102m to 106m is more than 40mm
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PhilTWTD added 18:48 - Nov 5 40mm is the increase in the width.
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oshilling_coyb added 18:51 - Nov 5 Very amused by them using my crest redesign in the application! At least I know someone at the club has seen it...
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AlanG296 added 19:06 - Nov 5 40mm extra on the width is negligible, but an extra 4m on the pitch length would affect viewing from the end upper tiers. When stands are designed they are with sightlines that when seated everyone can see the whole pitch, doesn't necessarily stay like that when they literally move the goalposts.
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Bucklebury_blue added 19:15 - Nov 5 I'd be very wary of architects who can't even get the badge right.
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Westy added 20:03 - Nov 5 Did I read a revised amended Club badge? I haven't read all of the article and perhaps am mistepresenting or misunderstanding this but the badge is sacred - the only way I would amend it is to incorporated the year of our foundation - 1878.
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leroy2488 added 21:03 - Nov 5 Sounds great and I'm certain the extra width of, 1 37/64” will help our flying wingers!! Could have just got a very slightly narrower wheel on the white line machine haha! Seriously, all sounds amazing 👍🏻
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Dissboyitfc added 07:51 - Nov 6 Looks amazing! With reference to the badge, its not as though that's the original one, so hardly sacred is it, no probs for me in an updated version!
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IpswichT62OldBoy added 10:50 - Nov 6 Proper investment, not portable or saleable assets. This is longterm stuff. Marvellous.
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The_Prof added 11:00 - Nov 6 The badge has changed several times during my lifetime, so there is precedent for altering it. When I first started watching I don't think they even wore a badge, and then they started wearing variants of the town crest as a badge. The horse-based theme started sometime in the 1970's, and has undergone radical changes a few times since, including colour changes.
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BrockleyBlue78 added 20:14 - Nov 6 Superb. Good work all involved
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Razor added 10:14 - Nov 7 I thin k that the end game may be to eventually transfer the main entrance to the Portman Road side of the ground so it is not tucked away on the other side of the ground-----it will obviously be grander and flashier to reflect our owners.
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tempzzzz added 13:10 - Nov 7 Judging by it going from "66m wide by 102m long" to "66m wide by 106m long" I would imagine that Phil meant 4000mm?
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