England Plans to Construct a 120,000-Seat Stadium

Luton Town, north of here, unveiled plans Tuesday for a 120,000-seat soccer stadium and business complex in a project that could mean a break with soccer tradition in England.

Besides the stadium, which would be the largest of its kind in Europe, the complex would include a shopping center, exhibition halls, and a 600-bed hotel.

An application to pursue the project at Luton Town, located 25 miles north of London and home of the first division club of the same name, has been filed by a team of companies, including the Blue Circle Cement Co., and real estate developer Crispin Auden. The complex is projected to cost $225 million.

All the facilities taken together would cover an area five times the size of London’s 63-year-old Wembley Stadium, the traditional site of all of the English national team matches and the Football Association Cup final.

England’s soccer association has indicated that the country’s major soccer events might be held at the Luton Town sports complex, officials said.