North Melbourne is a step closer to expanding its Arden Street headquarters with architects set to deliver new plans for a multi-storey extension.
Managing director and CEO Carl Dilena confirmed the club had already consulted with Melbourne City Council ahead of its submission to build on the extension slab, that sits between the existing exterior wall of the facility and outdoor pool.
"We have a workshop with the architects on Thursday to go through their first set of drawings," Dilena said.
"From there, we will refine them and then finalise them before submitting to council for approval."
As part of having a standalone VFL team beginning next season and its push to secure an AFLW licence, North intends to extend its facilities and upgrade the Arden Street Oval so it can be 'match ready'.
"This would include new interchange benches on the oval, improved lighting, coaches boxes and a scoreboard," Dilena said.
"As far as the facility is concerned, it means brand new change rooms for the women's team, added office space for the coaches and support staff and the possibility of a rooftop function area to entertain our supporters and watch games."
The move ties in with the club's overarching masterplan for the $7 billion Arden precinct redevelopment with the Metro rail tunnel project.
"We are adapting to the changing profile of the area which is going from light industrial to high-density residential and it's exciting to be a part of," Dilena said.
Recently, North sent a detailed concept to the Victorian Planning Authority that included expansion along Macaulay Rd, an indoor pool, two indoor centres (one with a synthetic oval and another with four multi-use courts) and an outdoor synthetic oval.
"We are thinking big, and we are thinking years and years ahead to ensure our club and players continue to have state-of-the-art facilities and resources," Dilena said.
"We see the extension slab as stage-one of a multi-stage process, but we need to move quickly to ensure construction can be completed in time for the introduction of our AFLW team in 2019."
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