BLACKBURN Rovers have revealed ambitious plans to incorporate a hotel and exhibition hall in a proposed new 15,000-seater stand.

The club wants to redevelop the Walkersteel Stand to boost the capacity of the ground up to 40,000 and wants to maximise the commercial opportunities of building a new stand.

But the club fears that the plan may be knocked back after councillors delayed separate plans to build a new club shop, sports bar and giant video screen at the ground.

Club bosses sent a letter to the council saying they are "bitterly disappointed" with the council's reaction to their modernisation work.

Council chiefs had originally advised councillors to throw out the proposal for a new sports bar, on the site of the current club shop, after nearby residents complained about the plan.

Rovers want to convert the current club shop into a 275-capacity themed bar, with a new club shop built to replace it at the corner of the executive car park. It is planned that the new video screen will be placed at the Walker Steel Stand/Darwen End stand corner of the ground.

And Rovers hope to use the screen not only at home games but also to beam back selected away matches in Europe and Premier League sell-outs which many Rovers fans could not attend.

Rovers chief executive John Williams wrote to the council saying: "We are bitterly disappointed with the officers' recommendation about the sports bar."

And he added that if the plan is eventually rejected, future plans for a hotel and exhibition centre could also fall foul of the same planning criteria.

Councillors voted to delay a decision on Rovers' plans while an assessment is made into what impact the work would have on surrounding roads and traffic flows.

Coun Andy Kay said: "We don't want to minimise the commercial development of Rovers but we do want minimise the effect on the roads."

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