From historical football ground to residential sanctuary

Wimbledon Football Club supporters once knew Plough Lane as their home ground, but since the football team relocated to new grounds in Milton Keynes, Plough Lane has instead become the location of Barratt Southern Counties' most recent mixed-use housing development, SW19 Sanctuary.

Up until now the development has been sold off plan and around 75 per cent of the homes are now sold. Barratt is preparing to launch the development with two showhomes this summer and in view of the success of the off plan sales, interested buyers are advised to register their interest early. SW19 Sanctuary is located in the enviable SW19 postcode and regular services from Wimbledon Station reach London Waterloo in under 20 minutes, so it is unsurprising that the development has been so popular.

When it is finished, SW19 Sanctuary will provide approximately 600 new homes, of which 40% will be affordable. The mixed-use development will also provide 45,000 sq ft of retail, commercial and office space, creating both necessary facilities and employment opportunities for the existing community.

SW19 Sanctuary has been built with environmental sustainability firmly in mind; Barratt has followed ‘The Merton Rule,' the pioneering planning policy initiated by the London Borough of Merton. This policy requires the use of renewable energy onsite to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. It also maintains that developments must generate at least ten percent of their own energy requirements by incorporating, for example, wind turbines and solar panels.

Plough Lane was the home ground of Wimbledon FC for the 79 years between September 1912 and May 1991, when the club moved to Selhurst Park, a ground it shared with Crystal Palace FC until 2003. Plough Lane's highest ever attendance was 18,080 - most of whom were navy servicemen on leave - for an FA Amateur Cup match between Wimbledon FC and HMS Victory in 1935. Though Plough Lane was used for Wimbledon and Crystal Palace reserve team matches for some time after 1991, the grounds were finally dismantled in 2001.

"Plough Lane has been immortalised in the memories of many local residents and sporting fans," commented Trevor Sawyer, managing director of Barratt Southern Counties, "We very much hope we will be creating a new community and that living here will create new memories for its residents."

To commemorate Wimbledon FC, each block in the development will be named after an ex-player or other influential figure within the team. A work of art to commemorate the former ground and all those associated with its history will be installed in the corner of Plough Lane and Durnsford Road.

Though Wimbledon FC is now based in Milton Keynes, sporting fans are well catered for in Wimbledon. Wimbledon Stadium, approximately 500 metres from the development, is Britain's finest oval racing stadium and stages greyhound racing and motorbike speedway meetings. The world-famous Wimbledon Tennis Championships are held every summer at its tennis grounds just over a mile away.

For further information and to register interest in SW19 Sanctuary, log on to Barratthomes.co.uk.