00:00Birmingham City Council's planning committee have met this week to vote on Aston Villa's plans to expand Villa Park,
00:09a key step in the club's ambitions to raise stadium capacity above 50,000 in time for the 2028 European Championship.
00:18Planning permission is sought to extend the North Sand by around 6,000 seats, taking the overall capacity to 48,809.
00:27The overall expansion starts and then they will eventually get towards 52,000, hopefully in time for the European Championships.
00:37With further incremental expansions to the other stands, eventually targeting 52,500.
00:44The North Stand behind one of the goals and opposite the Holt end will see a redesigned lower tier,
00:51an extended upper tier that wraps around into the main Trinity stand.
00:55The current façade would be reclad and glazed, while the new roof structure would appear to float above the stand.
01:03Building works would create a new arrival plaza for visiting teams and relocate security operations into redeveloped stands.
01:13The planning application has been recommended for approval by council planners.
01:17Previous proposals in 2022 were shelved, but lessons from that submission, such as travel and transport assessments, have been incorporated.
01:27Offsite measures include enhanced rail and bus services, taxi pickup areas and additional parking,
01:33while ecological concerns such as tree planting and swift nest bricks have been addressed.
01:39Objectors cite noise, disruption and visual impact, which Villa plan to mitigate through sensitive design choices,
01:48including transparent materials to reduce roof impact.
01:52If approved, the North Stand expansion would take around two years to complete,
01:58creating 192 full-time jobs and marking a major milestone in Villa's long-term redevelopment strategy.
02:04The council's decision will therefore be pivotal in shaping both the future capacity and the broader economic impact of Villa Park.
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