Man City In £1bn Redevelopment Plans

Manchester City Football Club is at the centre of plans, believed to be worth £1bn, to redevelop a 200-acre site around its Eastlands home.

The scheme will transform one of the poorest areas of the city and create hundreds of jobs.

The club is believed to be planning a training complex on unused land near the stadium as part of the scheme.

It will look into the viability of extending the stadium’s current 48,000 capacity as part of the redevelopment.

Manchester City has signed an agreement with the city council and regeneration body New East Manchester to develop the project.

As well as developing the club’s global profile, the focus will be on regenerating the area around its home.

The first phase of the development will involve a market place-style fan zone, on Joe Mercer Way, the current approach to the stadium.

Further plans are yet to be decided but the proposals tie in with the council’s hope to create the ‘nationally-significant destination’ earmarked for the area since the abandonment of the super-casino.

A Metrolink stop is set to be incorporated at the Sport City site – to be called Central Park – as part of the current expansion of the tram network.

Work on a £19m national BMX centre at the Sportcity site, which will also create jobs and attract visitors, is already under way.