Newcastle United plan to make the Gallowgate End their answer to Borussia Dortmund’s ‘Yellow Wall’ as one of the largest stands in Europe if the club decide to stay at St James’ Park.

It has been one of English football’s most iconic stands for decades, and Telegraph Sport has been given details of the proposed new structure behind the goal which would form the jewel of a new, rebuilt and modernised stadium.

Tottenham’s 17,500-seat, single-tier South Stand is the largest in the UK and stands at more than 34 metres tall, while Borussia Dortmund’s 25,000-seat south stand, known as the ‘Yellow Wall’, is the largest in Europe.

Rebuilding and expansion would raise the capacity of St James’ Park to around 65,000, making it the second-largest club stadium in the country behind Manchester United.

The club have been in possession for several months of the architectural drawings, which also include a rebuilt and expanded East Stand, but only now has the scale of the Gallowgate project become apparent. It is understood the club are doing everything in their power to remain on their current site, with an entirely new purpose-built, multi-sports venue in the heart of the city centre.

Progress on the new stadium has been slow and complicated, with all sorts of issues connected to the fact there is a metro tunnel below the surface behind the Gallowgate End and listed buildings adjacent to the East Stand.

Newcastle are still exploring alternative options, which could include a completely new stadium constructed elsewhere in the city. The club continue to insist all options remain on the table with a public announcement planned in which both options are likely to be presented to supporters for consultation.

If they decide to remain – and more than 70 per cent of supporters surveyed by the club have said this is their preference – the Gallowgate End will be transformed into a spectacular focal point for the new stadium. As well as becoming one of the largest capacity stands in European football, it will also include bars, restaurants and other multi-use spaces to boost revenue streams.

It is understood the stand will not only be one of the highest and largest in Europe but that it will also be built over the road behind it, with a tunnel to allow traffic to pass underneath. This will enable the club to also embark on an ambitious redevelopment of the land, currently occupied by the Stack fanzone, as part of the new stand.

‘The first choice is to stay’

Newcastle City Council are understood to be keen for the club to remain at St James’ Park and would like to see a redevelopment of the surrounding area, but are willing to listen to any alternative proposals, which are likely to focus on a new stadium built on nearby Leazes Park.

Multiple sources, though, have warned that any proposal to build on the Victorian-era green space, and conservation area, would be controversial and could face several planning obstacles, as well as potential legal challenges that will delay construction. One well-placed figure even described it as a “non-starter”.

Nevertheless, since the departure of Amanda Staveley, who was determined to remain at St James’ Park, there has been a shift towards a relocation from some within the club.

“The first choice is to stay,” explained Brad Miller, Newcastle’s chief operating officer who is overseeing the new stadium project. “If we stayed at St James’, we have 52,000 seats already. It comes with significantly more money if we transform it and it will look amazing. That’s option one.

“Option two is if we were to move away, and not too far away as we aren’t going to stretch the elastic band to the point of breaking. The second option, we are looking at it seriously as it does have the potential to earn more than twice as much in terms of revenue, compared to a transformation of St James’ Park. And more seats, a lot more seats potentially.

“The brilliant thing about St James’ is it is an iconic location, the atmosphere and the competitive edge it gives the team on the pitch – and it has 52,000 seats already.

“A new stadium doesn’t have that, and we’d have to pay for all those seats again. But a new stadium has the potential to earn a lot more, both on match days, and non-match days.

“It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So, everything we are doing, do we invest and transform St James’ as we see it today on site where we are? Or do we take that bold move and think about moving?”