Demolition work is underway with some notable pieces of Elland Road furniture already being removed
12:26, 26 May 2026
The iconic West Stand floodlights (pictured here) are gone
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The iconic West Stand floodlights (pictured here) are gone(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
Drive past Elland Road and Leeds United fans will see some areas around the ground resembling a building site as the expansion work ramps up.
While preparation works have been carried out ever since permission was granted in January, the main bulk of construction is now underway. In fact, this started merely hours after the final whistle was blown in the last home game of the season nine days ago.
Those in the West Stand - to be expanded first - were asked to leave by 7pm after the 1-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion with planners in hard hats seen trotting outside the perimeter of the stadium. No time is being lost on getting the project going.
Many have already noticed that the big West Stand floodlights have been taken down. Since then, demolition work has taken place with the security hub in the south-west corner of the ground being dismantled while the away changing rooms are gone.
A marquee structure is meanwhile being set up behind the North Stand - to be expanded secondly - with a worker’s cabin accompanying on-site diggers carrying out clearing work on the adjacent ground.
The development of the West Stand - which will stretch way back into the existing car park behind it - and North Stand will take capacity of Elland Road to 53,000 once all is completed.
Transfer window dates confirmed
The Premier League has confirmed that the 2026 summer transfer window will open on June 15 and close on September 1, lasting 49 days in total. The window will revert to shutting at 11pm again, unlike in recent years when the deadline day was 7pm.
Meanwhile, the winter window will open on January 1 and close on February 1, also with an 11pm deadline. The summer market opens four days after the World Cup starts with it shutting six weeks after the final.
Daniel Farke has said he expects summer business to be compressed into the latter stages of the window given the staging of the World Cup and the delay this naturally brings for players who wish to solely concentrate on the tournament.
Peacock pub plans
The iconic Old Peacock pub, situated across the road behind the South Stand of Elland Road, has applied for permission to build a new bar on its premises. The hope is that a mezzanine - a platform with accompanying stairs - can be added on site.
Greene King Retailing Limited also wishes to install toilets on it as well as the bar. The Old Peacock - first opened as The Peacock Inn in 1826, long before Elland Road was built - is naturally synonymous with Leeds United FC.
When the sports ground was first built by Bentley’s Brewery in 1878, the complex was named the Old Peacock Ground. Since the football club, which morphed into Leeds United from Leeds City in 1919, moved in 1904, the ground has been the local pub for matchday punters.
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To read more about the new planning application, click here.