Elland Road expansion plan backed by councillors

Thousands of fans celebrated Leeds United's promotion back to the Premier League outside Elland Road

A proposal to expand newly-promoted Leeds United's Elland Road stadium has been backed by senior councillors in the city.

The club's return to the Premier League was secured on Easter Monday, with the side hoping to increase the ground's capacity from 37,645 to about 56,500.

The expansion would be made possible by the sale of council land around the stadium to the club, with council representatives approving the agreement at a meeting on Wednesday.

Jonathan Pryor, Leeds City Council's deputy leader, told the hearing: "If we're a Premier League team, we need a Premier League stadium."

The expansion of nearly 20,000 seats would make Elland Road England's seventh-biggest football stadium, the council said.

Daniel Farke's side thrashed Stoke City 6-0 earlier on Monday, with promotion confirmed after Burnley beat Sheffield United in the day's late kick-off.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the club is expected to submit a formal planning application outlining the scheme in the coming weeks.

Councillors were told it would form part of wider regeneration work in south Leeds, with surrounding land becoming a "thriving 365 day a year destination".

Construction work could start on the West Stand "in the next 12 months", according to the report.

Subsequent work on the North Stand would form the second phase of the redevelopment.

Leeds United thrashed Stoke City 6-0 on Monday, with their promotion later confirmed

Pryor said the club's promotion back to the top flight of English football after a two-year absence "puts Leeds on the map".

He told the meeting the local authority would work with Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin to bring a mass transit network to the Beeston area of the city, where Elland Road is located.

Allan Lamb, who leads the Conservative group on the Labour-run council, said promotion would put "much more of a spotlight on the city".

"The key hope is Leeds will be in the Premier League to stay - and they need a stadium to fit that," he said.

A public consultation would take place after a planning application was submitted, the local authority said.

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