Plans to extend Villa Park’s North Stand have been given the go-ahead by Birmingham City Council’s planning committee.
The Birmingham Mail said Aston Villa had sought permission to add nearly 6,000 seats to the stand, taking the stadium’s capacity to over 50,000.
Refurbishment works, which will involve adapting and extending the existing stand then landscaping the area immediately behind the structure, are scheduled to be completed in the second half of 2027, ahead of UEFA EURO 2028 when Villa Park will be a host venue for the tournament.
Francesco Calvo, President of Business Operations, said: “We are delighted that we have been granted planning permission for the North Stand development. This is not only critical to the sustained economic growth of the club but will also allow more of our loyal supporters to attend matches.
“The approval from Birmingham City Council allows us to continue to invest in our facilities to deliver a first-class matchday experience for our supporters as well as helping to make Villa Park a go-to destination for concerts, events and the local community.”
Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England (UK). The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football.
Villa Park is a football stadium in Aston, Birmingham (UK) with a seating capacity of 42,918. It has been the home of Premier League club Aston Villa F.C. since 1897.
Richard Parker, West Midlands Mayor, said: “Huge congratulations to Aston Villa – another of the region’s footballing giants going from strength to strength. This is a massive step towards making Villa Park a world-class stadium and a top venue for the 2028 Euros.
“And the good news doesn’t stop there. We’ve got funding to upgrade Witton Station and we’re working closely with the club and our rail partners to make sure fans get the great train arrival they deserve.”
The club confirmed it is continuing to work closely with Richard Parker and welcomed his reinforced message that funding is available for the upgrade of Witton Station, a funding commitment which is crucial in facilitating the upgrades to the North Stand.
Alongside the current works to the Warehouse and the completed new club shop and ticket office, the North Stand enhancement will form the final piece of the North Grounds project, which will eventually grow the Club’s gross contribution to the local economy to some £120 million per annum.
The works include supporting over 1,700 Full-Time Equivalent jobs as well as attracting over 1.1 million visitors to Villa Park every year.
Villa have also outlined how the club intends to improve matchday travel amid its stadium expansion plans.
A council report previously acknowledged that movement of people travelling to and leaving the stadium could cause “disruption” on a matchday.
It said the club was committed to providing a “suite of measures” as part of the North Stand planning application to address this issue.
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