Man Utd target planning application for £2bn 'Wembley of the North' in 18 months

Manchester United hope to lodge a planning application for the new Old Trafford in the next 12 to 18 months.

Officials are confident of ending the impasse over the nearby freight terminal – central to what is a vast project – by this summer, paving the way for work on a 100,000-capacity Wembley of the North to gather pace.

Discussions are already taking place between club bosses and giant construction firms capable of undertaking a gargantuan task to build a futuristic home for the Premier League giants.

The aim is to ensure that, when an application is approved, United can hit the ground running.

Speaking at a property trade show in Cannes, France, Collette Roche – recently shifted from her role as chief operating officer to oversee the stadium development – told the audience that work was going on behind the scenes and suggested that movement was imminent.

United have been locked in a stand-off with Freightliner over the acquisition of their substantial terminal behind the Stretford End. It has been previously reported that both parties were ‘miles apart’ over a valuation, with the threat of a compulsory purchase order mooted.

However, while she did not go into great detail, Roche said that an end to the issue was in sight. Sources have disclosed that talks are ongoing with a number of parties regarding options over the land and subsequent progress.

‘The plan would be that within the next couple of months we should be there or thereabouts on the land assembly which will be an important milestone,’ she explained.

Roche added that it will then take ‘seven months’ to carry out the detailed design on what is set to be a futuristic new home for the club, which would make it the biggest football stadium in the country.

‘We’re spending a lot of time with local council to say what’s your ambition, how many houses, where’s the best place to put them so hopefully by the time we get to the planning application in 12-18 months time we won’t be starting from fresh.’

Roche added that, in terms of construction, United were ‘already reaching out to top partners we think we need to work with’.

‘We are going through a process to make sure we get the best team in place one that works in the same way we work and is up for the challenge and the ambition,’ she added. ‘And then we will lock that in. Then we start to build the plans. It starts now.’

Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe unveiled plans for the new stadium a year ago. They were designed by his friend and leading architect Lord Norman Foster and split opinion, with the new venue under a giant canopy some compared to a circus big top. It remains to be seen whether the canopy – an antidote to Manchester’s damp climate – will feature in the final plans.

It had been hoped that the club would be in the new home for the 2030-31 season. Officials have publicly stated their hope to host the 2035 Women’s World Cup Final at the venue.

The stadium is expected to cost upwards of £2bn. United say they will fund construction but are seeking public cash for infrastructure around the wider, 370-acre project, which includes 15,000 new homes.