Real Madrid will soon be given the green light for their Santiago Bernabeu to undergo a makeover.
Madrid's plans to get their 70-year-old stadium renovated have been given a boost after the city's Commission for Sustainable Urban Development approved the project on Wednesday, though final permission is expected to be granted on May 30 following a council meeting.
Last October, Real and the city's town hall presented the project that will see the 81,044-seater stadium and its surroundings undergo a renovation at an estimated cost of €400 million.
"It's going to be a spectacular transformation," Madrid president Florentino Perez said at the time. "We will have the best stadium and we will do it for Real Madrid, our fans and this city."
El nuevo Bernabéu ya tiene luz verde https://t.co/H4ZsDPqQ9A pic.twitter.com/ze0hPB6P8Z
- MARCA (@marca) May 25, 2017
Perez first announced a rebuild of the stadium back in 2004 but it was not until 2014 that a major step was made.
However, the initial plan was challenged by the local council and blocked by the Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Madrid.
The amended plan includes a futuristic silver skin and a retractable roof. The car park will be demolished to create an area for fans to meet before games, while the club have yet to decide whether to include a new commercial centre and luxury hotel.
The construction work, once the paperwork is completed, is set to begin this summer and last until 2019, but will only be done during the off-season.