Fresh photos show Newcastle United training ground upgrade in progress as club awaits key decision

Last month, Newcastle submitted plans to North Tyneside Council for single-storey side and rear extensions to the east side of the Darsley Park training complex in Benton, as well as a dining room extension and landscaping works.

The welcome upgrades will help the club bide their time as they look to build a new state-of-the-art on a different site in the future.

The plans include improved dining facilities, hydrotherapy and plunge pools, a new players’ lounge, new medical treatment rooms, presentation and changing room upgrades as well as new offices.

As a result, planning permission has to be granted in order for the work on the building structure to commence.

The plans are expected to be greenlit by North Tyneside council later this month. In the meantime, the club has been trying to save as much time as possible by going ahead with the necessary ground works that do not require any planning permission.

And Twitter user @LiamCha98845241 provided a recent update of the work currently taking place at Darsley Park with an image showing construction work going ahead around the main training ground building.

But work on the building structure itself cannot begin until planning permission is approved.

The plans have faced some opposition from locals regarding issues surrounding parking, excessive noise, dust, litter and public urination linked to the training ground.

Some have also requested to have their feelings heard during the planning meeting.

In April 2022, an ecological impact assessment on the site highlighted the risk of bat roosting in the main training ground building. Bats are protected by UK law, meaning the club had to submit additional information in order to support the planning application.

The club have now submitted evidence of two nocturnal surveys undertaken on May 12 and June 1 at the site which indicated that no bat roosts were discovered.

Newcastle’s first-team are set to return for pre-season in the first week of July with the 2022-23 Premier League campaign set to start on the weekend of August 6.