The number of seats at York’s new stadium is set to be increased.
City of York Council has submitted a planning application to add an extra 399 seats to the design – taking the number to just over 8,500.
A council spokesman said the change will not delay the construction of the stadium – although planning permission has not yet been approved for the alterations.
The seating hasn’t been added to allow concerts at the venue. The current planning conditions for the site prohibit open air performances – the new application does not include a request to change this.
Room for more fans
Ian Floyd, the council’s interim chief executive, said:
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This is a consequence of minor modifications in the construction design and the use of a different seat supplier.
This enables us to increase the number of seats, whilst still meeting design and accessibility standards.
Without affecting timescales for construction, this would allow the opportunity for more people to watch our local sports teams in a fantastic new stadium and help attract even more major events.
The average attendance at Bootham Crescent for York City FC games last season was 2,443. The average attendance for York City Knights games in 2019 is 2,125.
‘Complete by end of year’
The stadium will host both semi-final matches of the Women’s Rugby League World Cup in 2021.
A council report says the seating is now complete on three of the stadium stands and that all of the seats were due to be finished by the end of this month.
It adds that the construction of the stadium is expected to be complete by the end of the year.
The planning application says the seating increase is “a consequence of City of York Council’s request to maximise the stadium capacity.”