Planning application for Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium enabling works gets the green light

Planning application for Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium enabling works gets the green light, with ambitious plans since being revealed.

The Cherries are to double its 11,286 capacity to approximately 20,200, to demolish the existing South Stand and replacing it with a new 7,000-seat grandstand.

They will fill all four corners to add a further 1,440 general admission seats while also expanding the North Stand by around 1,200 seats and East Stand with 1,700 seats.

There is to be internal upgrades to the West Stand, improving player facilities, hospitality, and concourses, with new fan zone placed in the southwest corner with food/beverage outlets, plus a new ticket office.

We are delighted to announce that planning permission has been granted for the enabling works at Vitality Stadium.

This marks an important milestone in the club’s long-term vision for redevelopment and future expansion.

— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) January 22, 2026

𝗧𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 anything is possible pic.twitter.com/83xdEY2Gg2

— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) July 15, 2025

CLUB STATEMENT:

AFC Bournemouth is delighted to announce that planning permission has been granted for the enabling works at Vitality Stadium, marking an important milestone in the club’s long-term vision for redevelopment and future expansion.

The approved works will deliver significant improvements to the stadium’s infrastructure and matchday experience.

These include the installation of a new perimeter fence and turnstiles, revisions to pedestrian and cycle routes, the creation of a new outside broadcast area, and the enclosure of terraces within the West Stand.

Together, these developments will enhance safety, accessibility, and operational efficiency, while laying the groundwork for future phases of the club’s ambitious redevelopment plans.

The enabling works represent a vital step towards creating a modernised Vitality Stadium that reflects AFC Bournemouth’s growth on and off the pitch.

Bill Foley, owner of AFC Bournemouth, shared his thoughts with afcb.co.uk: “This is an exciting and important moment for the club. Our proposed new stadium reflects not only our ambition on the pitch, but also our commitment to investing in the community. The project will deliver long-term benefits for supporters, local residents, and the wider region beyond the BCP area.”

The club will now move forward with detailed planning and implementation, with further updates to be shared in due course ahead of a vibrant future for supporters and the local community.

AFC Bournemouth would like to place on record its thanks to BCP Council for their assistance throughout the process.

Jim Frevola, the club’s president of business operations, said to the Daily Echo: “Really happy and appreciative of the lively debate in the room.

“We take away a lot of feedback that we heard, particularly on the transport pieces.

“We know that a big part of the project is getting that right. We’ve got a lot of people focused on it, we’ve got outside consultants, we’ve got the council folks.

“So I think the spirit and teamwork is there to get it moving in the right direction. But yeah, a huge day today. One more application to go and then we can get going.

“Today was great. We’ve got one more big hurdle to go, but without today, the next one wouldn’t even be on the docket. So, it’s a great day to be a Cherries fan.

“There’s a lot of work behind the scenes being done.

“The modal shift of getting folks in and out of a football stadium, not just here in Bournemouth, but around the country, that’s a big priority for every football club.

“So, parking is going to be limited, whether you’re in Bournemouth or London or Leeds or Manchester, that’s always going to be a challenge.

“So how do we get people out of their cars, on the bikes, on the public transport, on their feet and not parking in someone’s yard and not parking illegally?

“We absolutely take that away as something that we don’t want to see happening. So, yeah, we fully support getting the transport part now.

“There’s already stuff that we didn’t need planning on already happening at the ground,” he said.

🏟️ Yesterday was “a great day to be a Cherries fan”, president of business operations @jimfrevola told me after the club’s enabling works application for their stadium expansion was approved.

Fans will see work immediately, too – more here: #afcbhttps://t.co/lyreHvYruU

— Alexander Smith (@AlexSmithEcho) January 23, 2026

“You’ve probably seen some of the works being done. So, yeah, immediately you’re going to start seeing some things happening and we’ll have to communicate.

“We needed this vote to happen today to allow us to start clearing some other pieces of the ground.

“So things that are going to be impacted, around the south stand, particularly where the plaza is, we probably have to take that away to do some surveying and to get the groundworks done for the enabling works on the south stand, the steel.

“So, it’s going to impact supporters. We know that we don’t take it lightly, but we’re going to make sure we’re doing our best to give them a long term, better option.”

Fans gave their reaction as the planning application for Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium enabling works gets the green light…

@_WestHamReport:
*coughs really loudly at David Sullivan*
This is how you do it, mate.

@ry_mcflyy: Another football club way much smaller than #wwfc doing stadium upgrades 😒 Pull your finger out @Fosun_Intl ❗️

@AntonioMango4:
✅ Be competitive in the Premier League.
✅ Sign lots of Gems, included a Brazilian linked to Europes Elite.
✅ Announce Stadium expansion.
Bournemouth are going places. fairs 🍒

@CherryB05874226: Great news! Let’s go!!!!! I can’t wait to see the building work commence! Another step towards the Club shaking off that tired old ‘tin pot’ insult that so many pathetic rival fans use against us! We’ve heard it all before, nothing new, water off a ducks back etc etc 🤣 🍒⚽️🍒

@TEwba268: Ashton Gate 2.0 – looks cracking mind

@jbafcb77: Gonna miss our little garden shed 🍒 #afcb

@AW_CPFC: This will be built before ours, not a doubt in my mind

@leebrown22: Great owners. What they’ve done to this club is unbelievable

@danwestham1: makes me hate David Sullivan and @karren_brady even more for destroying us and moving us from our home. Everything we did was to nick a short term note vs having a long term vision…

@ChezDepartment: Brilliant news for the club. Hopefully this can expand our reach in the recruitment market as well as improve our home atmosphere which is dreadful to be honest. #afcb

The club said six months ago:

The transformation and development of Vitality Stadium will secure the long-term success and sustainability of AFC Bournemouth.

The expansion and improvement of the stadium represents a major milestone in the Club’s history and its stated journey to be top a performing club in the Premier League.

Increase capacity to approximately 20,200

Enhance the matchday experience

Achieve full compliance with Premier League and UEFA Standards

Strengthen community impact

Implement cost-effective, low-disruption solutions during the redevelopment

New stadium perimeter fence line including relocated turnstiles

New ticket office

Demolish existing South Stand and build new grandstand (c.7,000 capacity)

Infill all four stadium corners to create additional general admission capacity(c.1,440 capacity)

Vertically and horizontally expand North and East Stands

New fan zone

New outside broadcasting (OB) area

Relocate existing floodlights from the corners and space along the grandstands

Partial rerouting of combined pedestrian /cycle route

Optimisation of car and cycle parking layout

Amend vehicle circulation routes

Enabling works:

Planning application: Summer 2025

Construction start date: Q1 2026

Phase 1:

Planning application: Autumn 2025

Construction start date: Q1/Q2 2026 (during active season)

Phase 2:

Planning application: Autumn 2025

Construction start date: Q3 2027

Q: What is the proposed new capacity of the stadium?

A: The stadium will expand from 11,286 to approximately 20,200 seats.

Q: Will you add more season tickets?

A: Yes! The main goal for the project is to more than double the amount of season tickets, adding thousands.

Q. How will you determine who is offered a season ticket?

A: A combination of data points will be utilised to determine the purchase priority for new season tickets. These data points will include prior purchase history, Cherries Points priority status, etc. Our intention is to ensure that every Maximum Point Holder will have a purchase opportunity. More details will be shared in the coming months.

Q: Will you be adding more hospitality?

A: The plan is to add approximately 9,000 total seats during both phases of renovation. 8,400 of these new seats will be General Admission. We will be adding a few new hospitality areas in the Main and East Stands encapsulating the remaining 600 seats.

Q: What changes are being made to the South Stand?

A: The existing South Stand will be demolished and replaced with a new grandstand accommodating around 7,000. In the same phase of works, all four corners will be filled to add approximately 1,440 general admission seats.

Q: What improvements are planned for the West Stand?

A: Internal refurbishments will enhance player facilities, hospitality areas, concourses, etc. In addition, we plan to enclose both open-air patios on the second floor.

Q: What is planned for the North and East Stands?

A: These will be extended to add approximately 1,200 seats in the North and 1,700 in the East.

Q: What are the enabling works?

A: We will be installing a new perimeter fence line with relocated turnstiles to allow for easier ingress and egress. In addition, a new ticket office will be added to the exterior of the new perimeter fence line.

Q: Will you add any additional Fan Zones?

A: The plan is to add a new Fan Zone to be located on the SW corner of the stadium grounds, offering food and beverage outlets.

Q. Is the stadium going to host non-football events?

A: As is currently the case, hospitality spaces within the stadium would be used for non-football activities (i.e. conferences, meetings, business events, proms etc.) across the calendar year. During the off season the stadium may also host other events such as concerts or other sporting events. However, they would be infrequent.

Q: Will matches continue during construction?

A: Yes, construction is planned to minimise disruption and allow the stadium to remain operational during the football season.

The Council recognises how valuable AFC Bournemouth is to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, with its continued success on the pitch, and their support for our local communities.

“We have a positive relationship with the football club and have enjoyed like many, their recent successes on the pitch. We look forward to working with them on their plans to invest in the area and improve the matchday experience for fans at Vitality Stadium, via the appropriate planning and democratic processes.”