Heart of Midlothian Football Club (Hearts) today submitted a Planning Application to City of Edinburgh Council for the redevelopment of Tynecastle Stadium featuring the construction of a new 10,000 seat main stand.

The stadium redevelopment includes the construction of a new two-tier main stand which will be complemented by commercial space with a range of uses including a gym, new club store, hotel, 'city view' restaurant and residential accommodation.

Roman Romanov, chairman and acting chief executive at Hearts, said: "Today's submission of the Planning Application is a major step forward in realising our aim of providing a first-class football stadium in Scotland's capital city.

"Our plans will bring great benefits to both Hearts and the city of Edinburgh. As such, we are hopeful that our submission will be looked on favourably given the added value and economic benefit that it brings. In our mind, the result will undoubtedly lead to Edinburgh being home to one of the country's top football stadiums while also offering benefits to those that live and work in the surrounding area.

"We are very focused on delivering a truly spectacular development for our players, supporters, sponsors, partners and neighbours. The newly developed stadium will ultimately lead to the creation of over 300 new jobs and provide an economic boost of at least £1.2 million per season to both the immediate area and the wider city economy."

Hearts is one the top 20 supported teams in the UK and has a maximum of 13,500 season ticket holders. The Board has ambitious plans for the club and has embarked on a major community initiative in and around Edinburgh to introduce the next generation of young people to football and, in particular, Hearts.

In the last three years Hearts season ticket base has increased by 80% with attendance in the last year up by 34%. Hearts has broken a number of attendance records for European and domestic games in that period. One of the biggest attendances in Scottish football in recent times, outwith the Old Firm, was achieved for the pre-season friendly match against Barcelona when 57,859 people attended a game at Murrayfield at the end of July.

Tynecastle Stadium has been home to Heart of Midlothian since 1886, 12 years after the club's inception. The main stand, which currently has as a capacity of 4,500, was designed by world famous architect Archibald Leitch and constructed in 1914.

Hearts has employed a project team including architecture, engineering, surveying, project management, environmental, town planning and urban design firms who have been working for almost three years on planning the redevelopment of Tynecastle Stadium.

Hearts News Today will carry an exclusive FREE to view broadband TV interview with deputy chief executive Pedro Lopez at 12 noon. Don't miss it!