Sheffield United gets permission for new Corner stand

Sheffield City Council has approved proposals put forward by the Championship club for the development of a new stand at Bramall Lane. The new corner stand, which will sit between the Global Windows South Stand and the Bramall Lane stand, will cost GBP 2.5m. The Corner infill stand will provide the club with 2,000 additional seats taking the stadium’s total capacity to 33,000.

Meanwhile, following consultations with the Planning Officials, the club is finalizing plans for a "new Kop" where the intention is to construct a structure behind the existing building creating a new upper tier and increasing the overall capacity at the Shoreham Street end of the ground by around 5,000 seats. The new Corner infill stand is the first in a series of proposals to be put forward by the club aimed at the re-development of the ground into a major sports and leisure venue which will help the urban regeneration of the Sharrow area of the city.

In 1997, planning consent was given for "Blades Leisure Park" giving the club established permitted uses for casino, hotel, new club shop, sports retail area, themed public house, nightclub and a business centre. The first phase construction, completed in 2001, included the highly successful Blades Enterprise Centre, which accommodates over 60 enterprises, including many businesses and community organisations from Sharrow.

A plan for a 'landmark' four star hotel development - originally part of the same application with the Corner infill - will be part of proposals by the club to be re-submitted to the Council’s planning officers for approval in the next few weeks. The Hotel, linking to the rear of the Corner Infill, will be 10 storeys and have 150 rooms. Work is planned to start late next year.

The casino development, in partnership with Las Vegas Sands, a USbased operator, is still contingent on the Government’s plans for the number of new casino licences that will be permitted. Executive Chairman Kevin McCabe said: "We are delighted with the decision. Not only does this mean we can start work on the project as soon as possible but we can move onto the next stage of our plans and work with the local authority in the development of the proposed hotel at the rear of the new stand."