Bristol Rovers hope to make the Mem tent-free for the start of next season by replacing the South Stand and South West Stand with a singular new structure.
Gas CEO Tom Gorringe has confirmed the club is in the process of exploring designs after the proposal was first revealed in board meeting minutes made public earlier this month.
The tented South Stand, which houses home and away supporters, has been a source of embarrassment for Gasheads over the years and although Gorringe insists the club's priority is finding a new stadium, there is an opportunity to upgrade the Mem and improve the experience for supporters.
"The Mem continues to be a challenge for us as we must continually balance the need for us to improve the facilities whilst keeping consideration of managing investment sensibly to not waste money, as our aims are to move away from the site," Gorringe wrote in his programme notes for Tuesday's game against Ipswich Town.
"One area that was discussed within the board minutes was the desire for us to look to replace the South Stand for the new season with a new stand. This new stand would increase the capacity of the stadium and the proportion of the stadium that would be seated.
"The aim, if possible, would be to replace both the South and the South West stands with a new single stand with a solid roof, leaving us with no tented stands and an improved experience.
"We are in the process of getting surveys and 3D drawings completed and, as soon as they are in place, we will share them with supporters."
Should the plan come together, it would mean the Mem no longer features any temporary structures after the removal of the North East stand last summer to increase standing capacity on the East Terrace.
Despite that move, the capacity at the Mem has been reduced to 9,832 this season. The licenced capacity is 10,538 after instruction from authorities, which has prevented standing at pitch level, and the club decided to reduce capacity further to improve safety and supporter experience.
Meanwhile, detailed updates from the club on its search for a new stadium, with the fruit market in St Philips the area of focus, have been few and far between, but Gorringe insists the club is doing all it can behind the scenes to realise the decades-long dream of a new home for the Gas.
He explained: "There was also a lot of conversation about the club’s need for a new stadium, so I think it is important to make a few things clear. Firstly, it is absolutely a priority for us to secure a new stadium that is befitting of the club, our ambitions and our desire to move up the football pyramid.
"There is nobody in the club that doesn’t want that and we are acutely aware of the limitations of the current site and the benefits that a new stadium would bring. Everyone who is able to do so is doing everything they can to bring this plan to fruition.
"However, as has been demonstrated over previous decades, not just at the club but in the city in general, development projects of that scale are difficult, they take time and they require patience. They are also subject to confidentiality agreements, which are in place to endure that nothing is said that can negatively affect the chances of a development coming to fruition.
"The plans ahead for the club are exciting and there are huge opportunities to improve our infrastructure, which in turn will be the foundations to build the future growth of the club for generations to come.
"Wael’s (Al-Qadi) vision and desire to bring these projects to fruition is unwavering and I hope that all of his efforts to date will be rewarded with the developments that they deserve."
SIGN UP: To receive our free Rovers newsletter, bringing you the latest from the Mem
READ NEXT:
