FAMILIES living on the site of an iconic Premier League ground say it hides a secret.
Locals of the area around the once beloved stadium say it has become an “eyesore” and they want it to be redeveloped.
Leicester City’s old home in Filbert Street was the site of some of the club’s greatest victories, but has been reduced to a “pile of rubble” according to residents.
Paul Checkland, 17, whose home backs onto the ground, told The Sun Online that he hoped it would be turned into housing or a memorial for players and fans.
Instead, it is now run-down graveyard of glories past.
Paul said: “The site is a tip with ugly student blocks, which are now under repair and being re-cladded, and two unfinished new structures.
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“No one has been informed of what’s going on but people have been complaining about the new student blocks going up because of lack of light and privacy,
“For now work on the new buildings have ground to a halt and we don’t know why.
“The place looks like a tip. It used to be a landmark, now it’s a pile of rubble.”
He added that tourists and fans who come to get a glimpse of the old ground are left disappointed and feel that it has been “destroyed”.
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Paul’s dad Steven, a former football steward who has worked at both the old and new Leicester stadiums, expressed his dismay that the place had been left to crumble while the “monstrosity” of a student block was repaired.
It is now fenced off, with two new towers of flats scheduled but held up amid a planning row.
Amanya Bangar, a student living in the current block, said: “It’s quite isolating living here, there’s nothing to do and not a lot happening around here.
“It’s boring. The only thing we have is a Morrisons shop.
“Our whole block is being re-cladded because of water leakages, the workmen are there now and it’s nosy and disruptive.”
He pointed to an overgrown patch of land at the front of the site, which he feels could be turned into a park for locals.
The Filbert Street ground opened in 1891 and served as Leicester’s home until 2002, when they moved into the nearby King Power Stadium.
The old building was demolished and sold to developers for £3.75 million, though it is yet to be fully reconstructed.
It comes after a far happier group of residents near a footie ground told The Sun about the crazy perks that come with it.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
