Stockport County’s major £50million stadium expansion approved.

Stockport County’s major stadium expansion has been approved, marking the beginning of a new era for the club.

The council’s planning committee approved plans to add 7,400 seats to Edgeley Park, bringing the total capacity to 18,000, for a nearly £50 million investment.

It came after a battle with campaigners from the Edgeley Wildlife Group, who attempted to persuade the club to change a portion of the project to build a car park behind the south stand on natural green land.

However, during a crunch meeting at town hall on August 14, councillors voted to expand the stadium, which will include a new east and south stand.

The planning chairman, Coun Steve Gribbon, commented: “If you put something in which is going to be a structure of meaning then people are going to want to be part of it and I think this is going to be a good thing for the town centre.” Edgeley councillor Asa Caton supported the plans, saying they would bring more money to the area.

He said further: “As a councillor I have to strike a balance between environmental protection and development that brings clear socio-economic benefits.” “I have listened to the objections from the Edgeley Wildlife Resvere group but to me the balance is in favour of development because of the benefits it’s going to bring to Edgeley and across Stockport.”

The League One club has risen through the ranks of football in recent years and aspires to compete in the Championship.

Expanding County’s historic grounds is viewed as a critical step towards its future success, allowing for larger gates and increased income, as well as broader economic benefits for the town. Work on redeveloping the stadium is expected to begin in stages, possibly at the end of the current campaign.

While a larger stadium is expected to bring more people to Edgeley and more cars, any impact on local roads will be mitigated by a new matchday access strategy, travel plan, and expansion of the matchday parking area.

County has gotten off to a flying start in League One this season, with two wins in a row as the club looks to secure promotion.

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