The Fossetts Farm Stadium is a proposed football stadium in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England for Southend United, replacing Roots Hall Stadium in urban Prittlewell. Initial proposals for the new stadium emerged in 1998; planning permission was applied for, and later confirmed by Southend Council, in 2008 but at that time the scheme depended entirely on financing from a proposed adjacent retail and leisure development, which failed to happen. In 2020, a new deal was agreed, based instead on delivery of 1300 new homes, split between the Fossetts Farm site (c. 800) and Roots Hall (c. 500). However, council planning approval for revised plans including a 16,226-seat stadium had still not been given in August 2023. In September 2023, a consortium bidding to buy Southend United suggested the club might remain at Roots Hall due to the "non-viability" of the stadium project. Following agreement of the sale of the club to the consortium, confirmed on 3 October 2023, the stadium plan was reportedly abandoned.
History
Financial preparation (1998-1999) Billericay-based property development company Martin Dawn PLC and Delancey Estates, together forming South Eastern Leisure (SEL), took control of Southend United in November 1998. Ron Martin said his company was "Committed to a successful football club on and off the field, both of which can be enhanced by the future possibility of a new stadium and improved facilities for all". SEL bought the club and its centrally located Roots Hall ground for £4m from then chairman Vic Jobson, who at the time owned 55% of the issued share capital of the club. Jobson had previously sold part of the ground's South Bank for housing, and SEL's plan was to continue the redevelopment and move the club to a proposed 16,000-seat stadium in a leisure redevelopment in the northern part of Southend.
In March 1999 Southend United's Roots Hall ground was sold for £4 million to Martin Dawn subsidiary Roots Hall Limited to clear a £3.87 million debt; the club would lease back the ground at an annual rent of £400,000. John Main had replaced Jobson as Southend United chairman, and said: "There is no question of Roots Hall being bulldozed to the ground before we have relocated to a new stadium – this club will not be homeless." But disgruntled club shareholders demanded the resignations of several board members at an EGM called to rubber-stamp the sale, claiming that they should stand down for allowing the club to slip so dangerously into the red and forcing the sale of the club's only real asset. "These board members should be made to resign after displaying their utter incompetence by allowing the company to trade in an insolvent situation," exclaimed one annoyed shareholder.
In September 1999 Southend United said plans for a new multimillion-pound stadium would be presented to council chiefs within weeks with chairman John Main confident that the club would be given permission to start construction early in the new millennium. "The council have been very supportive and we hope that the planning application passes through successfully", said Main. "If it does we can look forward to moving into a new state-of-the-art home within the next few years."
Planning application and setbacks (2000-2002) Plans for the new 15,000-seat stadium were put on hold in February 2000 after it was discovered that an ancient Bronze Age burial ground entered onto the planned site. By March 2000 supporters frustration grew as the club continued to fail to meet promised planning application submission dates. The Southend United Supporters Club Trust (SUSCT) observed that the club was running out of time. "We're no nearer to getting a new home now than we were 12 months ago, which is very worrying because we are running out of time fast," said chairman Trevor Bashford. Members of Southend Council were equally eager to see some progress. In late May 2000 Council chief executive George Krawiec threw his weight behind the proposals but admitted that he would like to see some progress made on the planning front. "We await both eagerly and anxiously Southend United's planning application so we can look at it properly within the correct guidelines," said Krawiec.
Plans for a £12.5 million 16,000-seat stadium on the Fossets Farm site were submitted in July 2000, but the proposal fell through almost immediately after a rival property development company revealed that it actually owned much of the site.