Images: Manchester City
English Premier League football club Manchester City has submitted a planning application to Manchester City Council for a proposed expansion of the North Stand at the Etihad Stadium and a 3,000-capacity City Square fan zone.
The club has also released the first CGI renderings of the plans after concept designs were unveiled in February.
The expanded North Stand will include a larger, single upper tier above the existing lower tier, increasing the overall capacity of the Etihad Stadium from 53,400 to over 60,000.
The City Square fan zone will be integrated into the North Stand, which will also house a new club shop, museum, food and drinks outlets, and a 400-bed hotel. When viewed from Joe Mercer Way, the hotel and food and drinks outlets will be situated on the left side of the development, with all other facilities contained within the right flank. LED screens measuring around four stories high will also feature at the end of each flank.
The planning application has been submitted following the conclusion of City’s consultation, which took place between February 28 and March 26 and allowed fans and the local community to share their feedback on concepts and designs.
The club has reviewed all the feedback submitted via the consultation questionnaire and confirmed that fans were in favour of the concepts and proposals presented. The proposal now includes plans for a sky bar with views overlooking the pitch, along with a stadium roof walk experience.
The planning submission also features modest workspace for use by start-up and medium-sized organisations looking to co-locate and collaborate with the club, City Football Group and Etihad Campus partners.
City said the proposals represent over £300m (€340m/$373m) investment into East Manchester, with the construction project set to take three years to complete and offer 2,600 jobs, prioritised for people from Greater Manchester.
Danny Wilson, managing director of operations at Manchester City, said: “Over several months we have been developing concepts and designs for a best-in-class fan experience and year-round entertainment and leisure destination at the Etihad Stadium and are delighted to have now submitted a planning application to Manchester City Council.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our fans and the local community for their participation in our recent consultation, not only for completing the questionnaire but sharing their detailed comments and feedback with us, all of which has been carefully reviewed and considered.
“As with all club developments, ensuring our local community benefit is a key priority and we believe these proposals will deliver long-term economic and social opportunities, building on the regeneration work delivered in East Manchester by City Football Group since 2008.”
City has played at the Etihad Stadium since 2003, with the facility having been built initially for Manchester’s staging of the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Later this year, the 23,000-capacity Co-op Live arena will open near the stadium.
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