Council & Swansea City Discuss Stadium Expansion

Swansea City Football Club officials and the council have discussed possible expansion plans for the Liberty Stadium.

There has been much debate recently regarding a potential threat to a possible expansion of the stadium due to the granting of a new McDonalds restaurant nearby.

The Lib-Dem leader in Swansea, Chris Holley said:

"I can confirm the council has already held talks with the football club about extending the stadium in a number of phases with the east stand first.

"And we are prepared to do what we can to facilitate that development once the various legal agreements are sorted out.

"We are fully confident the Swans will retain premiership status and this administration will continue to invest to ensure that the city benefits from our current agreement with the Welsh Government to promote our city around the world.

"What is also needed however, is a suitably sized stadium to support the club in that status."

Robert Francis Davies, Labour`s shadow spokesman for strategic development in Swansea, is also confident that the Swans will stay in the Premier League:

"It`s now looking highly likely that Swansea will remain in the Premier League.

"Supporters have been telling the council since before the Swans were promoted we` d need more seats, I can't believe it's taken Chris Holley this long to realise it.

"Labour built the stadium back in 2004 before the Lib-Dems took over, since when the Lib-Dems have sat back and done nothing to plan for the future needs of the fans.

"What should have happened is that as soon as promotion was in the bag, plans for expansion of the stadium should have been drawn up, instead of which the Lib-Dems have dithered.

Holley responded and said:

"I very much welcome Labour`s renewed interest in the future of Swansea`s Premier League Football team.

"After all the last time they made any comment it was to suggest the club should be penalised for its success by paying more money to the council for rent.

"It is just a shame that their enthusiasm for this ground extension could not have come earlier.

"The current Administration is fully committed to the success of Swansea City Football Club.

'It is true that the Liberty Stadium was built by the previous Labour Administration. But it was the current cabinet who put in place the management arrangements and also ensured the undersoil heating and the catering facilities that were engineered out of the original scheme on cost grounds were installed so that the clubs could make full use of the stadium.

"Instead of playing politics with this issue I would like to invite the Labour group to join with us in achieving that aim."

Click here to join in the debate on the club forum.