Major plans to revamp Villa Park approved
It'll mean capacity is increased to over 50,000.
Plans to rejuvenate a significant area of Villa Park have been approved by Birmingham City Council.
The major works will involve completely demolishing the North Stand in order to add another 7,400 seats, tipping the total capacity over 50,000.
The Trinity Road Stand will also undergo internal works to revamp the hospitality infrastructure and relocate the players’ tunnel to the corner of the pitch.
Parking and transport around Villa Park were acknowledged by the council as issues that needed to be addressed though.
Once the work is complete, Villa Park will be one of the highest-capacity stadiums in the Premier League and would feature heavily in Euro 2028, should the UK and Ireland’s bid be successful.
Aston Villa has long been planning these works and said the current North Stand is ‘in urgent need of upgrading’. Now planning permission has been granted, the club could break ground as early as the spring of 2023.
Key features of the redevelopment:
- Demolition and ‘state of the art’ rebuild of the North Stand including the club shop, academy building, security lodge and fencing on Witton Lane
- Extra seating will take the total capacity of Villa Park to 50,065
- Internal enhancements to the Trinity Road Stand including more food and drink options, hospitality upgrades, and better Wi-Fi
- Over 7,000 square metres of new public space along Witton Lane to improve the fan experience
- Changes to the car park layout with electric charging points installed
- Addition of 190 bicycle parking spots
Villa Park is one of the oldest and most prestigious stadiums in the country and has hosted international matches across three different centuries. The added capacity and improved facilities are hoped to boost the UK and Ireland’s bid to host the European Championships in 2028, with Turkey being the other major competition.
Improvements to Witton Station are also in the pipeline in relation to the Villa Park redevelopment, funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority. Transport chiefs will look at making trains more regular and improving access for passengers.