First glimpse of Manchester United’s regeneration plans including 100,000-seater stadium

Manchester United have given a glimpse of how a new “world-class” 100,000-seater stadium would look in the £2 billion regeneration of the area around Old Trafford.

United showed the plans at the Labour Party Conference this week and while the images of a new arena are generic models, it showed the club’s vision for how fans would experience Trafford Park on matchdays.

Sources at United say they are not looking for public money to build a new stadium to replace the existing ground, which has been subject to ridicule in recent years for being in disrepair. But there could be ‘public-private partnerships’ around transport infrastructure and housing.

It is widely known that a rail terminal situated behind the stadium needs to be moved for any expansion and it has been suggested some taxpayers’ cash could go into it being moved.

“What you have here is the huge potential to fix the rail system of the north west of England,” said Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham at the Labour conference in Liverpool, adding that a move “fixes things for passengers”.

“They won’t have to have the freight disruption. What that then does is free up the space around Old Trafford so the club is able to have all of its options looked at and has the biggest possible footprint to use so it can bring forward the most ambitious regeneration.

“We hope it’s the best football stadium in the world, which brings benefits to residents around it.”

According to a report by Oxford Economics, the regeneration plans could inject £7.3 billion per year into the UK economy, with the creation of 92,000 jobs, more than 17,000 new homes, and an additional 1.8 million visitors each year.

The lead architects for the Stadium District are Foster + Partners, with ex-United captain Gary Neville insisting he is “not bothered if it’s either” a new stadium, or the existing one being refurbished.

“The most important thing is Manchester United end up with a world-class stadium,” Neville said. “I’m more interested in the overall masterplan in the surrounding area. We have seen what happens when you put football at the heart of that regeneration.”