Polish side Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biała can soon start the construction of their planned new stadium. This is the result of an agreement that was reached between local residents and city officials.
The city has already approved the project, but a group of residents afraid of the nuisance the much-larger new stadium will bring, had filed a protest that blocked the start of construction. The solution for the disagreement turned out to be as simple as moving the main gateway to the stadium to a different street.
With the issue solved the Ekstraklasa club now hopes to start construction as soon as August. As the new stadium will be built on the same site as the current Stadion Miejski, construction will be done in phases so that Podbeskidzie can keep playing its home matches at the ground. If works go according to plan, the new stadium will be completed by the end of 2014.
The new stadium will be a huge improvement compared to the present Stadion Miejski, which, with both curves already demolished, consists of nothing more than two simple stands and some temporary bleachers that can hold just over 4,000 people.
The new Stadion Miejski, on the other hand, will be fully covered, fully enclosed, and be able to hold 15,000 spectators. The project will come at a cost of PLN 82 million.
Bielsko-Biała, a city with just under 200,000 inhabitants, is located in the far south of Poland at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. Podbeskidzie has just completed its first season ever in the Polish Ekstraklasa (the highest division) and avoided relegation with an impressive 12th place.