Planning chiefs in Birmingham have handed the green light to the next phase of Aston Villa's plans to revamp the club's stadium.
Bosses at Villa Park want to demolish the ticket office, club shop and academy building as part of a wider redevelopment of the site in north Birmingham.
Owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris have a particular focus on land at the rear of the North Stand with plans to clear the site for what could eventually house a super store, museum and a hotel.
The former 'Stumps' building, used on home match days a fun zone for families, will also be bulldozed.
A document accompanying the planning application lodged in the summer said: "None of the existing buildings are locally or statutorily listed and are of little architectural merit.
"Aston Villa are proposing to move the ticket office/merchandise store into temporary units elsewhere on site.
"It is intended the footprint of this building will be used as excess capacity for car parking on match days. The academy building football pitch will continue to be used in an outdoor capacity following its demolition.
"The site would be left in a tidy condition and enclosed with appropriate fencing to secure the site, pending its future redevelopment. This will ensure the site has an acceptable appearance taking into account the residential nature of the surrounding area."
Earlier this year, it also emerged that the club's owners had acquired Villa Park in a £56.7 million deal.
They have earmarked £100 million for improvements to the stadium which include the newly opened hospitality lounge 'The Gaslamp' while other improvement work has taken place around Villa Park and training ground Bodymoor Heath over recent months.
It is believed the owners have sought permission early for this next phase of the project but will wait for the current Premier League season to finish in May before starting demolition work.
