London Gatwick hotel owner plans swanky 18,000-capacity sport arena
A Canadian property tycoon whose portfolio includes a hotel by Gatwick Airport is planning an 18,000-capacity arena for one of his sports teams.
Tom Gaglardi is hoping to have a new arena up and running for the start of the 2031 hockey season, with his franchise’s existing lease running out in five years.
The Dallas Stars share their current American Airlines Center home with the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks in Texas but Gaglardi is planning a new home in Plano.
Gaglardi’s Vancouver-headquartered Northland Properties Corporation owns Sandman Hotel Group, which has sites in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Newcastle and Sheffield, as well as adjacent to Gatwick Airport.
The group also controls the Portmarnock Resort and Jameson Golf Links course in Dublin, and a chain of UK-based chop grills and sports bars.
“The most memorable arenas become part of the identity of a city and its people,” said Ryan Gedney of the new arena’s architects HNTB.
“Our goal is to create a home that is unmistakably rooted in the identity of the Dallas Stars, one that captures the passion and intensity of hockey while reflecting the unique character and culture of north Texas.”
Sport stadiums all the rage
The site is an example of the mixed use construction projects that often come with new stadiums, and it is something that is being seen across the United Kingdom.
Manchester United’s New Trafford stadium will include a huge mixed use development as part of a wider regeneration of the Old Trafford area.
Similar was planned with Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but a hotel adjacent to the arena is yet to top out.
The design developments for the Dallas Stars come after they and the Mavericks settled a court battle on Monday.
The two clubs agreed to a resolution relating to the control of the 19,000-capacity American Airlines Center, where both teams play.
The Mavericks are set for a new arena in Far North Dallas with new-build NBA stadiums seen as some of the most advanced in the world.