Villa Park plans will create one of country’s biggest stadiums
A MAJOR overhaul of Villa Park looks set to be approved.
The plans will involve completely demolishing the North Stand to add another 7,400 seats, bringing the total capacity to over 50,000.
The Trinity Road Stand will also undergo internal works to revamp the hospitality infrastructure and relocate the players’ tunnel to the corner of the pitch.
Once the work is complete, Villa Park will be one of the highestcapacity stadiums in the Premier League and will feature heavily in Euro 2028, should the UK and Ireland’s bid be successful.
Villa have long been planning the works and say the current North Stand is ‘‘in urgent need of upgrading’’.
The plans will see:
Demolition and ‘state of the art’ rebuild of the North Stand including the club shop, academy building, security lodge and fencing on Witton Lane
Extra seating will take the total capacity of Villa Park to 50,065
Internal enhancements to the Trinity Road Stand including more food and drink options, hospitality
upgrades, and better Wi-Fi
Over 7,000 square metres of new public space along Witton Lane to improve the fan experience
Changes to the car park with electric charging points installed.
Pending Birmingham City
Council’s decision this Thursday, work could begin as early as the spring of 2023. City council officers have recommended approval.
Local political leaders have widely supported the plans.
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street wrote in a letter: “Villa Park is both a regionally and nationally important venue.
“Ongoing investments in new infrastructure, like Midland Metro and High-Speed Two, will further benefit from additionally created continual improvement of our local rail stations, giving the best ‘end to end’ public transport journeys possible in an integrated manner.
“It is in all our interests to help ensure this exciting transformation happens in ample time for Euro 2028 to be hosted at Villa Park.”
The redevelopment has also gone down well with fans too.
Online website Villa Talk held a survey, with 286 out of 287 responders voting in support of the scheme.
Improvements to nearby Witton Station are also in the pipeline in relation to the Villa Park redevelopment, funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority.
Transport chiefs will look at making trains more regular and improving access for passengers.
Villa Park is one of the oldest and most prestigious stadiums in the country and has hosted international matches.
The added capacity and improved facilities are hoped to boost the UK and Ireland’s bid to host the European Championships in 2028, with Turkey also in the running.