Newcastle council has lodged $3.6 million plans to upgrade the No.1 Sportsground grandstand, the second stage of works designed to attract top-level games.
The long-awaited improvements include a new two-storey addition on the back of the grandstand to accommodate new change rooms and a glass-walled hospitality room upstairs.
The new upstairs kitchen, servery and "social room" will reduce the grandstand's seating capacity by 122 to 588.
The $8 million first stage of works at the ground included improving and expanding the playing surface and installing new floodlights.
The council published concept drawings of the grandstand upgrade in March 2022, saying at the time that it would help attract trial games for Big Bash cricket and AFL teams.
The council applied unsuccessfully at the time for a state grant to help fund the project.
The new development application says the second stage of improvements will allow the venue to "achieve compliance as a regional sporting facility" to "facilitate larger sporting competitions".
A council spokesperson said on Thursday that the development application would support future grant applications for the project.
"Advice from both state and federal government grant panels is that the project will be more appealing if we can demonstrate that its shovel-ready," the spokesperson said.
"And, of course, that requires an approved DA."
The spokesperson said the council would continue to apply for grants "given that the previous grant application to the NSW government was unsuccessful".
Lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the upgrades would "deliver a sporting facility capable of hosting elite-level AFL and cricket matches".
The proposal includes new ground-level change rooms, two umpire rooms, two doctor rooms, two massage rooms, two multi-purpose spaces, three store rooms, a lift, the upstairs social room with kitchen, servery and cool room, and two team viewing rooms upstairs.
Cricket NSW said before last year's state election that it wanted $8 million upgrades to No.1 Sportsground so the venue could host first-class cricket for the first time since 2015.
The governing body of cricket in NSW said the government also should build a 15,000-seat boutique stadium at the proposed Hunter Park sport and leisure precinct.
"The plan is to get No.1 Sportsground up to speed so we can start to bring first-class cricket and even international teams back to Newcastle," Cricket NSW chief executive Lee Germon said at the time.
"That would lead forward into our vision for Hunter Park ... these are the sort of facilities that Newcastle deserves, as befitting a city of its stature."
