Why County’s stadium expansion was delayed

STOCKPORT County's stadium plans have been thrown into confusion.

- BY DECLAN CAREY

An expansion to bring the capacity of Edgeley Park to more than 18,000 was supposed to be decided by councillors during a town hall meeting on July 3.

The project is thought to be critical to the League One club's long-term future as it climbs the football pyramid aiming to reach the Championship.

With a recommendation of approval from council officials, a handful of County fans turned up at Stockport town hall for the crunch meeting last week expecting good news.

But, like with many things in football, there was a late twist.

Just ten minutes into the meeting a delay was announced, when councillors revealed new information had been sent to them at short notice, meaning the decision had to be deferred.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) can now reveal the reason for the delay and what happens next.