Town have announced that the North Stand will start to be demolished on May 8th - if planning permission is granted for the new stand. The plans are before the council's planning department and they will discuss them next week.

There are concerns from local residents and the club is seeking to allay their fears at a meeting this week. They have also offered to buy the homeless hostel on the corner of Alderman Road and Sir Alf Ramsey Way.

The new stand will hold over 7,000 fans compared with the 3,200 that the North currently contains. Chairman David Sheepshanks said of the development: "We cannot afford to be left behind. We currently have one of the lowest capacities in the Premiership. With a stadium holding 30,000 plus, we will still be at the lower end of capacities but the disadvantage will not be insurmountable."

The aim isn't just to enhance the size of the ground but the look of the surrounding area with the council planning a Portman Village involving the ground, the new hotel and multi-storey car park facilty and the flats in the old John Player factory. Sheepshanks again: "This is a big opportunity to achieve an overall enhancement of the area, establishing Portman Road as a local landmark, not an eyesore. We want to achieve something that is aesthetically pleasing to the eye, and this design is very much that".

The lower tier is hoped to be complete by October and the whole stand finished by April. Town have more than 3,000 fans on a waiting list for season tickets. They will be allocated tickets from July 2nd, but only if permission is granted for the new stand.

Photo: Action Images

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