What's holding up Leeds United's planning application to expand Elland Road?

The Leeds City Council plans panel meeting to discuss Leeds United's application to redevelop the West and North Stands at Elland Road stadium was already not what the club had wanted for late October 2025. When the club submitted their planning application, on July 8th, they wrote on their website that, 'A final decision on the application is now expected to be made within approximately 13 weeks.' That was always about as optimistic as thinking Leeds could qualify for Europe this season.

Thirteen weeks is the standard, statutory period for determining major applications, but few applications of this complexity are ever decided in that time. After a lot of pre-application work, and with the council's willingness to help United achieve their tight timescales, though, there was realistic talk at October 30th's 'update' meeting of making a decision at the plans panel meeting scheduled for November 27th. That, however, was cancelled. The next available date on the calendar is January 8th 2026.

Is there a problem, other than an underestimating of the planning process? There were clues in the meeting on October 30th, at which councillors were given a run-through of the proposals and a breakdown of how details were being worked through.

A two part dive into the deep history of Elland Road.

The Peacocks are called The Peacocks because there's a Peacock pub on Elland Road. But why was there a pub called The Peacock on Elland Road — let alone two? Let's investigate.

Part one, answering these questions: why a peacock, why Islington, and why Elland Road?

And part two, about who was behind The New Peacock Inn, and what was their connection to The Old Peacock?

After a while, one of the councillors decided it was brass tacks time. 'You did touch on the point, at the very beginning, saying there's a number of highways issues,' they said. They were turning to the officer from the Highways department, now. 'What are they?'

The officer coughed slightly. 'Oh dear,' they said, and depending on your generation you can interpret that as, 'Oh boy', 'Crumbs', or 'Lol, lmao', as your preferred expression of slightly daunted dismay.

Highways issues — getting more people to and from a bigger stadium — were always going to be the most difficult part of a redevelopment that every key stakeholder seems in favour of. And highways issues seem to be the biggest problem there has been with the planning application.

To summarise the position before we get into the problems: Leeds United are asking Leeds City Council for full permission to redevelop the West Stand, starting in May 2026, to complete in late 2028. They are also asking for outline permission to redevelop the North Stand. This would set the capacity and basic size of the redeveloped Kop, with the architectural detail to be applied for later, and an intention to complete building by 2030. Phase One, the West Stand, would increase Elland Road's capacity from 37,645 to around 47,400. Phase Two would take capacity to 53,000.