AMBITIOUS plans to demolish Southend United’s Roots Hall stadium and replace it with hundreds of new homes have been unveiled.

The planning application submitted to Southend Council proposes building 502 new homes on the site by 2025 by which time the football club is expected to have moved to a new 21,000 seat stadium at Fossetts Farm.

The new homes will be largely spread across nine buildings which will be up to eight storeys high but several two storey terraced houses will also be included.

Each house will have a single parking space as well as having access to cycle storage.

Of the 502 properties, there will be 151 “affordable” homes.

Planning documents describe how the ambitious development will come together over two phases, starting in Spring 2020.

Phase one will include the construction of five buildings close to Victoria Avenue and ranging between seven storeys and three storeys, with the aim for them to be completed by winter 2021.

This will be followed by phase two starting in winter 2021. This phase will be when the football stadium is demolished and the remaining buildings are constructed with a winter 2025 completion date.

One challenge for the club during the construction period is expected to be parking. It is noted that when construction begins in phase one, the stadium will still be in use and as a result some spectators are expected to be directed to park at Southend Council offices, however a more detailed parking plan will be drawn up before development begins.

The documents go on to describe the planned development as a “financial component” that will allow for the development of the Fossetts Farm stadium and while phase one can begin before the club moves to the proposed stadium, phase two cannot take place until after.

Southend United’s club chairman Ron Martin was contacted for comment.