Consultation launches on Villa Park regeneration plans

A public consultation has launched on the first phase of plans to regenerate Villa Park and the surrounding area.The first phase includes a new North Stand, as well as enhancements to the existing Trinity Stand, which will involve capacity for the stadium increasing to more than 50,000. The development also comprises improvements to fan experience through an upgraded food and beverage offering, enhanced hospitality packages and improved connectivity.Villa Live, a commercial destination venue and community space, would be introduced. The site is expected to include the club shop, food and drink outlets and areas dedicated to showing Aston Villa Football Club’s heritage and history.Christian Purslow, chief executive of Aston Villa, said: “We are excited to share our vision for Villa Park to become a world-class sporting venue and thriving community destination. It is important that we gain the feedback of our local community, fans and organisations, as we want them to play a key role in shaping the next chapter in Villa Park’s illustrious history.”The redevelopment of the stadium is vital to the club to satisfy growing demand. By elevating the hospitality offering at Villa Park, we want to enhance the matchday experience and create a year-round entertainment venue to benefit both the community and our fans.”The plans reveal our phased approach to redevelopment, considering each stand individually and identifying the necessary upgrades to minimise disruption to the community.”We believe that our proposals for Villa Park will have a transformational effect on the local community and wider area, and we are working closely with Birmingham City Council, the West Midlands Combined Authority and other key stakeholders to ensure our design proposals align with Birmingham’s ‘Big City Plan’ for 2040.”We want to put Aston Villa and Birmingham on the world stage and hope the redevelopment will support our ambition to host future UEFA matches – especially if the country is successful with a bid for the Euros in 2028.”Running from 28 June 2022 for a four-week period, the pre-planning application consultation consists of a survey and a series of community drop-in sessions to capture the views of residents and businesses.The first phase of improvements to Villa Park are estimated to take place from 2023 through to 2025.