Luton Town and their home of Kenilworth Road have been the source of much interest since the club were promoted to the Premier League in 2023. Given the limitations of their current stadium, it is unsurprising that the club have been looking for a new home for some time.
How close are they to leaving Kenilworth Road and what plans do they have in store?
Power Court Stadium latest
June 2025
Those in charge at Luton Town have once more reaffirmed the idea that this project will be of huge benefit to both the football club and the wider community. Speaking shortly after Limak International were confirmed as the project’s lead construction firm, the Hatters’ chief executive, Gary Sweet, said: “This is a transformative opportunity for the Club, helping us realise our ambitions to be a Premier League club again one day. We are united with the supporters on the need for a new stadium to move our Luton Town forward and we are delighted to be moving into this exciting construction phase.
“Importantly, this new stadium project roots us in our community, bringing jobs and investment as part of the wider regeneration of the area. Partnering with a company of Limak’s international standing offers us a global perspective with local delivery. We will collaborate closely with them to ensure the stadium reflects the spirit and needs of the community.”
In truth, there hasn’t been all that much progress on the project in recent months, likely due to the fact that the majority of the club’s focus would have been directed towards their dismal form on the pitch. However, with a frustrating 2024/25 now behind them and no league football for the next two months the project will likely begin to gain some momentum over the coming summer.
With that being said, a target completion date of 2028/29 means fans shouldn’t expect the project to be finished any time soon.
May 2025
Despite suffering relegation for the second year in a row, this time to League One, Luton Town are still pressing on with plans to leave Kenilworth Road and move to Power Court.
Confirmation that this is still very much the plan came at the beginning of May when the club revealed that they had joined forces with Limak International to be their construction partner in the build of the new stadium.
Limak International certainly have pedigree in the world of football stadia, as they are big players in the Camp Nou renovation that remains ongoing in Barcelona.
Luton have also said that work on the new stadium will officially begin this summer and that the plan is for it to be ready for the beginning of the 2028/29 season.
After back-to-back relegations, there will perhaps be some nervous figures in the club’s hierarchy about just whereabouts in the English football pyramid Luton Town will be in three years, but at the same time, they could also bounce back and end up in the Premier League for the grand opening.
December 2024
In December 2024, Luton Town FC received approval for the Power Court Stadium, which is set to seat 25,000 fans and replace Kenilworth Road. Developments Limited received approval for a mixed-use project that includes the stadium, a music venue, and a hotel, creating a vibrant community hub. While planning consent was granted in 2019, the club focused on an updated design that enhances the stadium and surrounding area.
The venue’s central location will enhance Luton Town FC’s involvement in the community. Club chief executive Gary Sweet highlighted this point, saying, ‘This will be our new home for generations.‘ The project celebrates opportunities for economic development, community pride, and social unity.
It represents a major milestone for both the club and the town, ensuring a promising future. The club’s next step is to begin construction, with completion anticipated in 2027.
Why do Luton Town need a new stadium?
The Hatters have called Kenilworth Road their home since 1905, but local limitations have posed significant challenges for redevelopment. As a result, the club has opted to relocate.
Even prior to their Premier League promotion, Luton Town recognised that Kenilworth Road would not meet the PL’s requirements for team stadiums. Adjustments were essential for them to compete at the highest level, reflecting the team’s longstanding aspirations.
While potential solutions were identified, the enduring development restrictions indicate that Luton needs a new stadium to facilitate its growth as a club.
What are the plans for Luton’s new stadium?
In 2019, Luton Borough Council granted planning permission for a 25,000-seat stadium at Power Court. The location is popular with supporters as it remains within Luton and is around one mile away from Kenilworth Road (not far from the railway station). The new stadium has an interesting design as shown below (courtesy of the Luton Town website, where more information and images can be found).
The scheme has also received a major financial boost with the decision by Luton Borough Council to approve plans for a Hotel and Retail Park to be built near Junction 10 of the M1. Called Newlands Park, the development will help pay for the new Luton Town Stadium.
Groundwork begins
After the plans were submitted to the local council in September 2024, Luton wasted no time in getting construction work started. Groundwork has began and the construction team have already installed the frames of a goal in the middle of the site, which has been well received by local fans.
Excitement is now building among the club’s supporters, and to capitalise on that excitement, Luton has publicly released concept art of what the stadium will look like once completed.
As part of the release, the club’s Chief Executive, Gary Sweet said:
“Once our lives changed 16 months ago with promotion at Wembley, concurrent to the gargantuan task of getting Kenilworth Road Premier League ready we decided to reassemble a design team to take a fresh look at the whole Power Court project from foundations upwards.
“All in light of the new ambition we wanted to embrace for our Club going forward, demonstrated by the proposal to build to a 25,000 stadium capacity in one phase.
“We hand-picked and structured an elite design team of architects, engineers and technicians who have been working with us, crafting every floor and corner of our new stadium to a detailed stage such that it can now be submitted, publicly aired and presented as a well-prepared detailed design instruction for contractors.”
Luton reveal bigger and bolder plans
In May 2024, Sweet said that the plans for the new stadium were now ‘bigger, better and bolder’ due to the club’s season in the Premier League in 2023/24. The financial rewards for playing in the English top-flight have given the club more money to spend on the stadium, which could allow things to accelerate in the near future.
Sweet said: “The extra income from Premier League promotion has enabled us to go bigger, better, bolder. Originally it was to be built in three phases, starting at 17,500 capacity, but now we’re going straight to our maximum allowable capacity.
“And because we’ll save time, material, money and upheaval avoiding that, we’ve really been able to enhance the design too, with some of those extra touches which make a real difference.”
When will Luton move to their new ground?
The club have announced that the construction time for the stadium will be around 24 to 30 months, but work is yet to start due to various barriers relating to finances and planning permission. In February 2024, Sweet confirmed that the plans were still active and that he hoped that work could begin by the end of the year.
In May, Sweet provided an update on the timeframes that that club are currently working towards. He said:
“There are so many complexities with a project like this, in a location like this and at a time like this including some outside of our control. But if we’re looking at concrete facts, groundworks have already started, and in sync with UKPN’s targeted schedule on the sub-station, piling is currently scheduled to start in the first half of 2025.
“That’s the foundations being laid. After that, you’re looking at approximately a two-year build time. Construction of the stadium can begin before the sub-station move is finished and we won’t need to wait for the residential development to start either.
“So that gives you some idea – targeting an opening for the 2027/28 season but must allow for test events and training and as it would be a nightmare to move mid-season we may be pushed to 2028/29.”
The club hopes that the design of the Power Court Stadium will be able to “capture the core characteristics” of the team’s current home, Kenilworth Road. It will be able to support the same atmosphere that the team experienced in their bid for promotion this year.
FGG says: A new dawn for Luton
Luton’s stadium was a bit of a running joke throughout their Premier League campaign. While the club’s back-to-back promotions had a huge part to play in how behind their stadium was, it’s fair to say Luton Town were punching above their weight. Despite dropping down to the Championship, the club is investing the Premier League parachute payments well by investing in a new stadium.
