This is how City’s Eastlands stadium could look next season – under the first phase of plans to transform the land around Sportcity.

Artists’ impressions, revealed by us today, show how the ground will become a glowing blue beacon with the installation of an illuminated halo above the club shop and the creation of new fan zone, City Street.

Huge photo-montage posters will also be hung outside the ground, featuring the faces of hundreds of fans and lyrics to club songs. More than 100 benches around Eastlands will be painted sky blue and feature club stories and images.

If approved, the initial plans will see the creation of City Street in time for the start of next season – turning the Joe Mercer Way approach to the stadium into a ‘market place’ fan zone.

City's £1bn plan for Eastlands

The makeover is part of a masterplan that will transform 200 acres of land in east Manchester into a huge sports and leisure complex with the City of Manchester Stadium at its heart.

The scheme is planned by the club with Manchester city council and regeneration company New East Manchester. A new training complex, shops, restaurants and a hotel are planned. An extension to the stadium’s north stand, boosting capacity to 60,000, is also planned.

And although the sketches, submitted by City to council planners for approval, appear to show a bigger than usual north stand, the club said this was simply an artist’s take on the stadium.

A club spokeswoman said: “The delivery of the premium experience for our supporters is at the heart of our club’s planning. This concept is at a planning stage only but, in partnership with Manchester council and New East Manchester, we are investigating opportunities to enhance the area and the experience for fans and visitors on match and events days.”

Work on the wider redevelopment scheme is expected to begin within the next five years.