Premier League club have ‘great plans in place’ for huge stadium expansion but face ‘major problem’ with transport links

ASTON VILLA face a huge stumbling block as they look to expand Villa Park.

The Premier League club received planning permission to completely rebuild the North Stand in 2022 but decided against it last year.

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Aston Villa want to expand Villa Park, but transport links surrounding the stadium must be improved first[/caption]

Chris Heck, Villa’s president of business operations, claimed it was not the right time to undergo a redevelopment.

The main concern has been the lack of infrastructure around the stadium and how local areas would cope with the increased capacity.

And now former Aston Villa chief Keith Wyness has revealed transport links are the “sticking point and blockage” preventing the expansion.

Speaking on the Football Insider’s Insider Track podcast, Wyness explained: “The plans are there for Villa to do it.

“I think the major problem they’ve got are the transportation links.

“It’s about the size of the train stations around the stadium. If you expand the stadium, you’ve got to expand the capacity of the transport.

“That’s the sticking point and the blockage.

“There are great plans in place, and I had plans when I was at the club – but there is this transport bottleneck.

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“With the sustainable policies in place now, it has to be train links. I don’t suddenly see 10,000 fans turning up on bikes – that’s for sure.

“Some of the planners would love that, but it’s not going to happen.”

Aston Villa want to expand Villa Park by 10,000 seats, taking the total capacity up to 52,000.

But to do that, the club would have to operate at a reduced capacity while building work continues.

For now, Aston Villa have pushed on with some minor changes.

The club have looked at improving the current facilities at Villa Park during the summer break.

Among the changes are the installation of new rail seating, additional seats to increase capacity and new hospitality areas across a range of price points.

Approximately 900 season ticket holders in the North, Doug Ellis and Trinity Road stands have been displaced as a result.