Leicester City submit 'ambitious' plans to expand King Power Stadium

Leicester City will hope their grand expansion plans do come to fruition - they are ambitious but reflect their remarkable recent history on the pitch.

The club went to great lengths to consult the local community and the people of Leicester and said the benefits of redevelopment will be felt by many.

They added the increased capacity and new facilities will be worth an extra £10million to the city each year - on match days alone.

When you also consider 1,000 permanent jobs will be created, it appears to be a project with the community in mind.

But what it does also represent is a club that understands it needs to change off the pitch as much as keeping up with rivals on it.

What could the new expansion look like?

Leicester now have a state of the art training ground and the former Premier League Champions and current FA Cup holders know that increasing the capacity to 40,000 and having world class facilities can also translate to more success on the pitch. 

Are the new plans dependent on whether Leicester remain in the Premier League?

When I was originally shown the plans, I asked if the development was dependent on Leicester being in Premier League and I was told no, which indicated the finances are already in place.

While no club can ever guarantee they won't be relegated, Leicester said that if given the green light, this will go ahead regardless of whether they are in the Premier League or indeed have Champions League football.

And that is the other point to make - for the last two seasons the Foxes have missed out on a place at Europe's top table, facilities like this and an increased capacity do not automatically get you there, but it's symbolic of a club that has ambitions to break into the top 4 and stay there.

What happens next?

The application will now be heard and discussed by the city council’s planning committee at the beginning of 2022.