It will seek permission for the phased and staggered introduction of up to 15 major non-sporting event days, such as concerts, per year.
The sporting body says it will submit the plans to Richmond Council soon.
It says securing more concerts at Allianz Stadium is central to the long-term sustainability of rugby in England “at a time of growing financial strain on the game.”
The venue generates around 85% of RFU revenues, which are reinvested across the sport from grassroots clubs to the men’s and women’s national teams.
The RFU says more concerts at Allianz Stadium will “underpin over £500 million of investment into rugby over the next five years, supporting the game from grassroots to elite and helping grow the sport, with a target to attract 50,000 new players by 2030. Crucially, if approved, the move would secure funding to upgrade Allianz Stadium, improving the experience for fans and supporting England’s national teams.”
The proposals come at a time of growing demand for large-scale live music, with the UK live entertainment market estimated at around £7 billion annually, around 30% of which is concentrated in London.
The stadium’s current operations, including Six Nations and Nations Championship matches, generates £181 million for the UK economy each year.
If all 15 concerts were to go ahead, the RFU says they could generate an associated £86 million in Gross Added Value to the UK economy through new event spending as a whole and increase spending locally by £28.5 million per year, “helping support shops, bars, restaurants and hotels across Richmond and Hounslow.”
Allianz Stadium is the second largest stadium in the UK, with a capacity of 82,000, but it currently sits empty for around 340 days a year, in part due to the limited national rugby calendar and strict planning and licensing limits.
The stadium is currently limited to just three major non-sporting events annually, none of which can be held on consecutive days, and with capacity capped at 55,000.
By comparison, Wembley Stadium is permitted up to 54 non-sporting events per year and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium up to 30, and both benefit from limited restrictions on capacity and when these events can be held.
The RFU says the plans have been carefully shaped through more than 18 months of engagement with Richmond Council, transport providers, and the community.
Residents living near the stadium say they fear noise pollution and further delays with traffic. They say there is an increase in anti-social behaviour on match days including street urination and excrement.
The proposals also include new limits on crowd sizes for non-sporting events, with a cap of 75,000 on weekends and an even lower limit applying midweek initially, compared to 82,000 for rugby matches.
Additional rail capacity at Twickenham Station has also been secured for event days, adding an additional services during peak times.
