Leicester City Football Club is pushing ahead with plans to expand its stadium and develop the surrounding area – despite months of delays in the planning process.
The club applied to Leicester City Council last October to add thousands more seats, along with an indoor entertainment arena, hotel, and other big changes. It was hoped a decision would be made last February, but that was pushed back to April. The most recent target date for a decision passed at the end of last month.
Both the council and club said the complex talks over the planning application were still continuing, with both working together to get the application ready for a potential green light.
The club has spent years working on a masterplan to extend capacity at the King Power Stadium by 8,300 seats to 40,000.
Other additions to the stadium, on the southern edge of the city, would include a 15-storey, 220 room hotel and business centre, as well as a 6,000 capacity indoor arena for conferences, concerts, indoor sporting events and live performances.
The arena could be linked to the new east stand and hotel via a footbridge. The Foxes’ Thai owners also want to put in new club and commercial office space, multi-storey parking and a 234 apartment, 20-storey residential tower block. There would also be a multi-storey car park.
Planning documents say the number of people employed on the site would rise from 1,070 to 2,745.
A city council spokesman said: “This is a complex major redevelopment scheme as well as a stadium capacity expansion. As such we have been working with the club and their advisors to get the application into a position to present to the planning committee with a recommendation for approval.
“The dates on the planning portal are target dates for a decision only, not deadlines, and can be revised.
“We are in regular contact with the club and are in the final stages of negotiations with them. The target date for consideration by the planning committee will be revised and made public.”
A club spokesman said they would share any update as planning progressed.
He said: “As the council have said, it’s an ongoing process.”
