Newcastle’s St James’ Park expansion plans boosted by major breakthrough as they buy back land Mike Ashley sold
NEWCASTLE have reportedly secured a major breakthrough in plans to expand St. James’ Park.
Toon have sold out every game this season as the team looks to qualify for the Champions League.
AlamyThe club have purchased Strawberry Place (circled)[/caption]
And as well as achieving on-field success, the owners have been keen to grow the club off the pitch.
Central to that plan is expanding the capacity of St. James’ Park, which holds 52,300 fans.
And now Newcastle are one step closer to that goal after agreeing a deal to purchase Strawberry Place from private developers Helios Real Estate and Marrico, according to the Daily Mail.
The property was sold by Mike Ashley for £9million four years ago, but a deal that is reportedly “good for both parties” was finalised this week.
Co-owner Mehrdad Ghodoussi led negotiations and the property, which is situated behind the Gallowgate End, is now under the Magpies’ control.
It is believed that initial plans involve turning the space into a fan zone.
But it could later become part of development plans which will see the stadium’s size increased.
The Newcastle board are also planning to invest in the city centre – much like Manchester City have done.
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The owners also made the stadium refurbishment one of their main priorities after taking over.
There are also plans to upgrade the training facilities.
