精东影视

Trafford Council is advertising for what it describes as 鈥渁 top-class consultant team鈥� to help it develop the masterplan of the Trafford Wharfside area which include a potential new stadium for Manchester United.

Teams have until 24 February to send in tenders for the work with the winning team working with the council as well as the football club and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

It said it wants 鈥渢o deliver a transformational and sustainable international destination for the benefit of residents, businesses and visitors鈥�.

At its heart is likely to be a new, 100,000-seat stadium for United, with industry rumours suggesting Foster & Partners is being lined up to design it, as well as 15,000 new homes.

A rebuild of Old Trafford has not yet been confirmed with an alternative focussing on a revamp of the existing ground with its capacity increased to 87,000 from its current 75,000. The last major work was carried out by Laing O鈥橰ourke nearly 20 years ago, which involved adding 7,900 seats to the capacity by filling in the ground鈥檚 north-west and north-east corners.

>> See also: To refurb or rebuild: what next for Old Trafford?

>> See also: As Manchester United鈥檚 new investor looks at Old Trafford rebuild, questions begin over who would do it

The Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force, chaired by Lord Coe, who headed the successful London 2012 Olympics bid, completed its feasibility work earlier this month.

In a statement, Manchester United said: 鈥淏oth options [the new stadium or revamp of the existing one] remain under consideration, with the club set to decide on the preferred approach ahead of the summer.鈥�

One source told 精东影视 three years ago, when plans were first mooted about rebuilding the stadium: 鈥淚 worked on Old Trafford, it is a cheap nasty series of buildings. It looked cheap then and looks embarrassing now. The architecture is horrific. There is nothing that can be done to refurbish this stadium in my view, it is a complete rebuild job. Not on this site, it is too close to the railway. Build it close by.鈥�

Announcing the hunt for a consultant team had begun, Trafford Council鈥檚 executive member for economy and regeneration, Liz Patel, said: 鈥淲e are now on the lookout for a world-class consultant team to shape the vision for the area.

鈥淭his is a hugely exciting project and working with our partners and private developers, we will be looking to create thousands of new homes, new neighbourhoods and help create a world-class setting for the Manchester United stadium.鈥�

The tender has been on The Chest, which is the North West Local Authority Procurement Portal.

The Old Trafford regeneration was given government backing earlier today by chancellor Rachel Reeves although business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said it would not be funding any of the 鈥渟porting elements鈥� of the work.

鈥淏ut of course the wider area, transport, housing, we want to work with local areas to deliver that,鈥� he added.