Manchester City are ploughing £300million of investment into revamping one end of the Etihad Stadium.
The plans are centred on adding 7,700 additional seats to the second tier of the North Stand, which will take the capacity to around 61,000.
But the redevelopment will also see a new hotel, covered fan park, megastore and a museum built on the campus to further modernise the facilities.
The eye-watering finance committed to the works is expected to take City’s overall spend on infrastructural development in the area – including previous stadium improvements, the training ground and community centres – to £1billion.
Consultation with fans and local residents about the project ended last Sunday, with City’s next step to secure planning permission.
If granted, they expect work to start in November and hope the expansion to capacity will be complete for the start of the 2025-26 season, with other building work finished a year later.
City maintained that ‘the construction period would be carefully planned around the football season to minimise the potential for disruption’.
The increased capacity will bring City in line with the likes of Tottenham, Arsenal and West Ham United. Liverpool’s development of Anfield is also expected to hit the 61,000 mark.
Renowned architectural firm Populous have designed the remodel, with their past project including the world’s largest cricket stadium in India as well as new stadiums at Tottenham and Lyon.
Feasibility studies undertaken at the end of last year brought 434 formal responses, with City saying that 79 per cent of those comments were considered ‘either specifically voicing support or positively contributing ideas for us to consider as part of our formal proposals’.
Supporters want improved transport on a single-track Metrolink network, and some requested sit-down restaurants that are available to fans who have not purchased hospitality tickets.
Part of the overhaul will include further bars and eateries, while the covered fan enclosure is designed to cater for 3,000 people. City’s current facilities, which includes a stage for matchday events before matches, is largely open to the elements. City estimate the project will create 2,600 jobs, with priority given to local applicants.
The new builds, transforming the look of the campus, will sit alongside the Co-op Live Arena, the largest indoor music venue in the UK set to house 23,500 people, which is due to open this December and lists City as a stakeholder.
SOURCE: dailymail.co.uk
