The Magpies are still waiting for the final report regarding an expansion of St James’ Park. An initial six-month feasibility study reportedly determined that expanding St James’ Park’s capacity to over 60,000 was a viable option for the club.
But Eales has confirmed that the club are still waiting final confirmation before taking the next step.
“We're waiting for the final report,” he said. “I think it's imminent. It's complicated because where we are is a difficult spot in terms of building so we want to make sure that we do that diligent process and look at all the options. That will come in.
“It will go to ownership and we will also speak to the fan advisory board when we get that final report. Then we will look at what our next steps are going to be.”
The club’s preference has always been to expand the current stadium, which has been Newcastle’s home since its formation in 1892 but a complete stadium rebuild has not been ruled out just yet.
Any construction work to expand St James’ Park will be subject to the club extending its current leasehold, which expires in 2097.
Expanding St James’ Park is thwarted by the stadium’s city centre location close to listed buildings and the Leazes Conservation Area.
While official details have not been made public, that hasn’t stopped concept designers from sharing their takes on what a proposed expansion or stadium rebuild could look like.
In April, stadium concept designer and 3D animator Damián Bosio propsed three stadium expansion suggestions via his YouTube channel, Bondibot.
One option involves expanding the Gallowgate Stand and Gallowgate West Corner to the same level as the current Milburn and Leazes Stands. It involves building over the Strawberry Place street and onto the land above the St James’ Metro Station.
To the untrained eye, this would be seen as the most feasible option with the club purchasing the Strawberry Place land last year.
The second option involves raising the St James’ Park playing surface and moving the pitch north west to allow more space to expand the East Stand and Gallowgate Stand. While it will mean losing capacity from the Milburn Stand and Leazes Stand, the design goes on to expand the East Stand and Gallowgate Stands so that all four stands are of a similar height.
This design won’t be viewed as realistic in its current guise due to the properties on Leazes Terrace and the ‘right to light’ easement that gives the landowners a right to receive sunlight on their buildings.
However, advances in technology could allow light to pass through an expanded East Stand and is something that was raised as part of the feasibility study.
A complete stadium rebuild has previously been considered on nearby Leazes Park. And this is where the most intriguing concept designs come from with a partial deconstruction of St James’ Park and a rebuild next to the current site on Leazes Park. This allows for a new state-of-the-art stadium to be constructed without any major capacity or further expansion restrictions.
However, any construction on the Leazes Conservation Area would likely face significant backlash even if an agreement was to be reached.
“We're waiting for the final report,” he said. “I think it's imminent. It's complicated because where we are is a difficult spot in terms of building so we want to make sure that we do that diligent process and look at all the options. That will come in.
26. Next to the lake
This stadium would still dominate the Newcastle skyline due to its location. | Bondibot
27. Capacity?
Any newly constructed stadium would not be limited in terms of capacity in the same way St James' Park currently is. It would also leave room for further expansions. In the case of this concept, the lake could prove an issue further down the line if a further expansion was needed! | Bondibot