NEW development plans to extend Headingley stadium have been revealed.

The iconic West Yorkshire sports ground, home to Leeds Rhinos and Yorkshire County Cricket Club, will undergo a £50 million development project in order to increase stadia capacity.

Improvements to the ground will see the construction of a new South Stand on the rugby pitch and a joint stand overlooking both the rugby pitch and the cricket ground.

Although plans were initially revealed in 2014 for a revamp of the cricket ground, work is expected to begin following a public consultation over the proposals in February.

It is expected that the increased stadium capacity would make Headingley Cricket ground a top location for hosting matches for the 2019 Cricket World Cup, as well as securing future Test matches in an attempt to bring more industry to the thriving Leeds town.

The new combined stand proposes about 4,200 seats for cricket and 3,800 facing the rugby pitch. The proposed South Stand for the rugby stadium has a planned capacity of 7,700 with 2,200 of those being seats.

Gary Hetherington, Leeds Rhinos chief executive, said: “It will present a major construction challenge and inevitably cause some disruption for all teams during that period.

“Our [rugby] stadium capacity will reduce to just over 13,000 for a period during the 2017 season.”

The development plans will be funded by public and private sources, the latter of which will be supplied by Yorkshire County Cricket Club and Leeds Rhinos.

Fiona Tomas 

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