Newcastle United have started working on plans to expand the capacity of St James’ Park and have already begun a feasibility study on how to develop both the Gallowgate End and East Stand.
Telegraph Sport can reveal the club are currently working out what sort of increase will be possible if both stands are extended, but it is estimated the eventual capacity could rise to around 65,000.
Newcastle have the seventh largest stadium in the Premier League at 52,000 and have fallen behind the likes of West Ham, Manchester City and Tottenham in recent years. If the capacity can be increased to 65,000 – although that is not certain at this stage – it will give them the second largest behind Manchester United’s Old Trafford.
The work is at an early stage and the club is waiting to hear back from specialist architects about what building work will be possible, as well as how much it will cost. Nothing will be decided until those reports have been completed.
Multiple sources have said every option is being looked at, but the more desirable is to make the East Stand and Gallowgate End similar in size to both Leazes End and Milburn Stand which will give the stadium more of a bowl-shape appearance.
The proposed building work is complicated by the fact the East Stand has listed buildings directly behind it and there is little chance of being able to demolish ** Leazes Terrace or any of the Georgian terraced houses that people live in.
It is understood work is more likely to start on the East Stand first, although no timescale has been given for when that may start.
All options will be studied before the board decides which proposal is best, but there is a firm commitment to increase the capacity as demand for matchday tickets far exceeds supply.
One of the ideas being investigated is to raise the height of the East Stand using glass so that residents still have their right to natural light, which is a key component of planning regulations.
Newcastle bought the land behind the Gallowgate End last year so they potentially have the room to add another tier to that end of the ground.
However, construction on a new fan zone on that space behind the stadium will start in the next few weeks and is due to open in the spring. The fan zone will be in place for at least three years so the main focus of attention is what can be done to increase the capacity of the East Stand in the short term.
The atmosphere inside St James’ Park was at its partisan best during the 4-1 Champions League win over Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night but the board know that a larger stadium will be crucial moving forward.
Asked whether he would like to see building work start to increase the capacity, manager Eddie Howe said: “I’d love to see it expanded. If it can be done, I’m sure the club will do it at some point.
“That’s very much the club’s philosophy. If we can push things forward and improve things for the supporters, for everybody, the club will do it. But it’s not simple, it’s not a simple process but we would love to get more supporters inside the stadium.”
