Green light for Villa Park redesign

Demolition work will start next summer as Aston Villa look to increase capacity at Villa Park

Ashley Preece - Local Democracy Reporter | Wednesday 4th October 2023 11:28am

Aston Villa have been given the go-ahead to finally start their £100m part-redevelopment of Villa Park, with work to renovate the Academy building off Witton Lane expected to kick things off.

The revised move to refurbish the former Stumps building – as opposed to demolishing it – was applauded by councillors who, this week, approved Villa's re-worked designs of a complete rebuild of the North Stand and the surrounding area in Witton.

Coun Lee Marsham (Labour, Nechells), said: “I think utilising the old Stumps building is a good idea, and I welcome the requirement for a dedicated travel plan for match days and concerts which are a nightmare for residents and fans.”

Fellow councillor Rick Payne (Conservative, Kingstanding), added: “I agree. It's good they're utilising a building that's already there and not demolishing it and, therefore, they'll develop that. I'm happy with that.”

The current Academy building is to be transformed into an impressive new fanzone offering that will be known as 'The Warehouse at Villa Park'. It's the brainchild of Chris Heck, formerly of the Philadelphia 76ers, who arrived in the summer to take up the role of president of Villa's business operations following the departure of former CEO Christian Purslow.

Heck has also overseen this season's new corporate offerings in the Holte End which include The Terrace View and The Lower Grounds, with the latter replacing what was The Holte Suite. The Lower Grounds will open for the first time this weekend at a cost of an additional £60 for season ticket holders or £120 for single match tickets ahead of Villa's lunchtime kick-off against Brighton.

As for the North Stand rebuild, demolition work to take capacity from 42,657 to 50,065 will start immediately after the Foo Fighters concert next summer (June 27, 2024). It will mean the Premier League club will play in front of a reduced capacity until the new stand's completion, which is expected to be ahead of the 2026/27 season.

Elsewhere, the club has announced that its Villa Live concept – a BOXPARK-like venue for supporters and the community – will still go ahead despite speculation that 'The Warehouse at Villa Park' was viewed as a more cost-effective alternative.

In short, 'The Warehouse at Villa Park' will be a short-term fix for supporters wanting to experience a fanzone pre and post-match. The planning statement reads: “The planning strategy for the redevelopment of Villa Park has been reworked to ensure the North Stand can come forward for development immediately, and new proposals for the refurbishment of the Stumps Academy building and car park fulfil wider functions of Villa Live in the 'meanwhile' period. This scenario will allow the future delivery of Villa Live and the completion of the original consented scheme in the future.”

As Birmingham City Council 's planning committee voted in favour of Villa's redevelopment, Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, spoke of his delight at what's to come. He said: “Good to see plans for the expansion of Villa Park are progressing, a truly transformational vision for the wider Witton area. Plans to speed up the £100m expansion have been approved while, earlier this month, I commissioned a study into Witton Station – it's all coming together.”

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