A medical centre serving thousands of patients in west London has warned it is at risk under proposed plans by Chelsea Football Club’s US owner Todd Boehly to expand the stadium.
Fulham Medical Centre sent out a message on Friday saying the redevelopment could leave “6,500+ patients without a GP”. It urged locals to back them in an ongoing consultation.
Boehly, right, has proposed a £2bn revamp, including aiming to increase the capacity of Stamford Bridge to 60,000. In order to grow, Chelsea has agreed in principle to buy a 1.2-acre site next door, called the Sir Oswald Stoll mansions, for a figure that is reportedly around £50m. The plans have also angered military pensioners whose homes are at risk. Any building work would also be subject to planning permission from the local council, and it is understood the club has not made any final decision on any future stadium plans.
This spring, The Londoner revealed that Boehly had scrapped plans for an all-day music venue after local pressure.
Chelsea have been having a tough time on the pitch too, losing to West Ham 3-1 yesterday despite spending almost £1bn on players.
Tanked up again on the streets of Soho
Some Soho revellers thought they’d had one too many on Friday evening when a tank came rolling down Dean Street.
The Abbot Self-Propelled Gun later made its way triumphantly down Oxford Street. We tracked it down on a specialist site called Tanks-A-Lot. Company owner Nick Mead, who owns over 300 tanks, told us it was hired by a wealthy foreign businessman for his birthday. The client was keen to see the London sights including Big Ben and Trafalgar Square. The experience cost £6,000, plus delivery.
The tank is fully registered with tax and insurance, making it roadworthy. Londoners will be glad to know the gun is deactivated. What’s more, the tank, which was built in 1965, is old enough to qualify as a “classic car”. This makes it exempt from Mayor Sadiq Khan’s Ultra Low Emission Zone charges. That’s one way to avoid paying it.
Rishi hits the pub for footie final
After his holiday in California, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak opted not to go to Australia for the Women’s World Cup final yesterday. Instead he cheered on the Lionesses from his Yorkshire seat, where regulars at The Fleece Inn in Northallerton welcomed the PM and his security detail. Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer watched in a bar too but didn’t have a snapper. Last week, Lib Dem leader Ed Davey posed in a pub watching the game.
Back in east London, McDonald’s hosted an open-air viewing attended by Maya Jama, Idris Elba and Rio Ferdinand.
