A decision on whether Leicester City’s plans to expand the King Power Stadium can go ahead could be made by the end of next month.
The club is seeking planning approval for big changes to the Premier League ground on the edge of the city centre.
It wants to build a new stand and increase capacity to 40,000 as well as develop the surrounding area with indoor entertainment arena, hotel, and more.
A hybrid planning application was submitted last October – including a detailed plan of the proposed East Stand expansion along with outline plans for the new buildings around the stadium – and Leicester City Council’s consultation over the submission was due to conclude on February 2. A target decision date set for February 10 was originally set.
No decision arrived, and LeicestershireLive said the date has now been pushed back. Consultation over the plans continues, which will run until March 31, with a new target decision date set for April 20.
Since the initial filing of the planning application, more documents have come forward analysing the impact of the build on the air quality in the area, and on local traffic and travel, with around 8,000 more people heading to the King Power Stadium on matchday.
Progress has been made in that earlier this year, green lights were given to two other proposals put forward by the club, which allowed them to begin preliminary works on the site, including the demolition of the National Grid building at the back of the East Stand. However, that work has not yet commenced.
When the plans were initially submitted, an earliest expected completion date for the East Stand was summer 2024. The other builds would then follow.
City is also planning another on-site project, in the form of statue in memory of late chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who died in a helicopter next to the ground.
The club put forward plans in 2020, submitted new plans last month and had them approved earlier this month, with hopes that the monument can be unveiled in April.
