Newcastle United expansion will see St James’ Park take ‘nuanced’ bowl shape, say architects of Spurs ground

Newcastle United could look at making St James' Park into a unique bowl shape to reach goals of a 60,000 capacity, according to an architect firm that specialises in expanding sports stadiums.

Ever since the club's takeover in October 2021, the new Magpies owners have been outspoken in their desires to increase the club's stadium in capacity from its current 52,000. With Newcastle United flying in the Premier League and hosting Champions League football, there is huge competition for tickets at the cathedral on the hill.

St James' Park has also been chosen as a host stadium for Euro 2028, which adds a potential clear target date for an expansion and regeneration before the eyes of the continent fall on Tyneside.

The i spoke with leading architects Populous, who designed the £1.2 billion Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, about the future of St James' Park. The club has made no firm decisions on the expansion yet with a designer yet to be appointed, but the firm shared its ideas and stated they would 'bite your hands off' to work on the expansion.

Earlier this year NewcastleWorld heard from North East architects Sadler Brown about the challenges facing the football club for expansion, including the Leazes Conservation Zone, right to light and presence of the Metro line underneath the newly-bought Strawberry Place ground, which will be converted into a fanzone before any expansion gathers pace.

Populous managing director Christopher Lee acknowledged these challenges when speaking to the i, who set out that the project would be difficult, but not unfeasible. He said: “In my career, I’ve had a few jobs where people think it’s impossible. The Emirates was built on a train line, [the site] is a triangle with no access. We thought that was difficult but it feels like every consecutive job after that gets more and more difficult.

“The Aviva Stadium in Dublin reminds me of the potential St James’ Park redevelopment. They also didn’t want to move, it had 52,000 capacity but it was a predominantly standing stadium. They wanted 52,000 and a predominantly seating stadium on the same site but there were issues to overcome.

“There were heritage buildings north and south which are Grade 1-listed and in Ireland the right to light [for those buildings] is unalienable. Elsewhere you can buy to compensate but not in Ireland. So what we did there was we mapped in three dimensions, we call it building information models where you get all this information into a report. You then end up with an envelope within which you can then design."

Mr Lee set out that his firm would look to expand the East Stand and Gallowgate End vertically to make 'some really interesting bowls' which could create a 'really nuanced' and 'genuinely authentic' design.

When running through ideas for how the project could look in April, Sadler Brown explained that given the difficulties of the expansion and unique location of St James' Park, the firm would encourage the club to think outside the box rather than 'looking back and simply replicating old ones'.

The firm also warned against an expansion only focused on capacity rather than feel. Sadler Brown said: “Larger stadiums have different relationships between the pitch and the spectators; sometimes the tension of the close connection between players and fans adds to the sense of theatre and heightens the sensory experience and atmosphere which could be at risk if the stadium expands too much.”