Accrington Stanley bosses have thanked Hyndburn council after carrying out ‘essential’ stadium upgrade works - before the granting of planning permission.

Over the summer the Reds installed new spectator facilities, toilet blocks and turnstiles at the Wham Stadium along with a new vehicle and pedestrian access from Haworth Street and extra parking spaces.

David Burgess, managing director of Accrington Stanley, said the scheme needed to be carried out quickly between the end of last season and the start of the new season.

The club has now submitted a retrospective planning application for the works, which have attracted two letters of objection from residents on Whalley Road regarding the new access from Haworth Street.

Mr Burgess told the Observer: “We only had that window of eight weeks with no games on to get it done between the end of the play-offs in mid-May and the beginning of August.

“The council have asked us to go for retrospective planning for it. We’ve had full support from the council as they knew the window of opportunity to do that.

“The council were really supportive of everything we were doing and had the building control people in all the time and it was built to specification.

“It was something essential that had to be done to give our spectators a better matchday experience.”

Mr Burgess said the upgrades and FanZone area have been well received by home and away supporters.

He said: “Since the season has started we’ve had nothing but positive feedback and the supporters have kept them in mint condition.

“We have tidied the whole area up from being a tipping and dumping zone to a nice, home end of the stadium where people can come a bit earlier and have a pint and a pie.”

A decision on the retrospective planning application will be made by Hyndburn council in the next few weeks.

A Hyndburn council spokesperson told the Observer: “The council has been working with the club, who have submitted a planning application for the works.

“This will be determined against relevant planning policies and representations of local residents will also be taken into account.

“The full planning application can be viewed on the council’s website.”