Leicester City stadium expansion given council approval

Leicester City plans to expand the capacity of the King Power Stadium to 40,000

Plans for Leicester City to expand the King Power Stadium by 8,000 seats have been approved.

The club applied for planning permission from Leicester City Council in October 2021 after a public consultation.

It also wants to build a new hotel and business centre, a flagship fan store, an events arena and residential flats.

Councillors initially approved plans in September 2022, pending a financial agreement, which has now been reached.

Leicester City set out plans in 2021 to expand the capacity of their ground to 40,000 seats, making it one of the largest football stadiums in the country.

The club said more than 1,000 jobs would be created during the construction period, with another 1,000 permanent positions across facilities on the site.

The club said there was an "overwhelmingly positive" response to their consultation

At a meeting in September of last year, councillors voted to approve the designs, as long as the club finalised a Section 106 financial agreement.

That agreement has now been reached, the club said.

A Leicester City spokesperson said: "The club welcomes this endorsement of the planning committee's previous approval and thanks its fellow city stakeholders for their continued cooperation and support for a developmental vision that will be transformational for the city and the region.

"It will be the responsibility of the club's leadership to ensure that the final detailed plans for a project of such longevity deliver optimal value, particularly given the scale of investment which will be required from the club and its owners to bring it to fruition.

"The club looks forward to advancing those detailed proposals, while continuing to monitor associated market conditions, which will enable us to plan an appropriate timeline for development work to commence."

Other developments for the area are also being planned