Manchester City Football Club has submitted a planning application for a development close to its Etihad Stadium in the Openshaw West area of Manchester.
The project will see an 80-acre brownfield site, located diagonally opposite the stadium, transformed into a first team training and youth development facility for the Premier League club. It will feature a mini-stadium, which will host youth team matches.
The plans form part of the Etihad Campus development of the land surrounding the stadium.
Alongside the 7,000-capacity mini-stadium, the plans include a home for up to 400 young players, sleeping accommodation and classroom facilities for up to 40 young players, plus a first team building including changing rooms, a gym, refectory and injury and rehab centre. It will also include staff offices and a media centre, as well as a bridge to link the main stadium to the rest of the campus.
It follows a six-week consultation period, which the club says revealed significant local support for the proposals.
Brian Marwood, chief football operations officer at Manchester City Football Club, said: “The development and recruitment of youth talent is at the heart of our long-term strategy of building a successful and sustainable football club for the future. The opportunity to build a world class facility supported by a well-researched youth development plan would be a significant step in the realisation of that strategy.”
Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester city council, said: “The Etihad Stadium and campus are at the heart of the regeneration of the wider East Manchester area and these plans will help accelerate that positive transformation.
“We welcome the principle of this proposed development which reflects not only the needs and priorities of the football club, but recognises and reflects the community’s priorities too. It’s another welcome demonstration of the club’s commitment to the area and a boost for East Manchester and the city as a whole.”
To see more images, plus a fly-through video of the proposed scheme, please visit the Focus Blog.
daniel.cunningham@estatesgazette.com
To access all EGi news stories and commercial property data sign up for a free trial today, or visit the subscription options page to find out more.
