Liverpool City Council’s planning committee have given Premier League club Liverpool FC approval to expand its Anfield Stadium, which would increase the ground’s capacity with just over 13,000 seats.

The expansion, which is part of the Merseyside club’s £100m stadium expansion plans, would see Anfield’s capacity go from 45,276 to 58,376 to make it the fourth largest stadium in England, as approval was given to add 8,300 seats to the main stand and another 4,800 seats to the Anfield Road stand.

Other aspects of the expansion would see conference and banqueting facilities added to the stadium as well as a new club shop and additional car parking, with construction slated to commence next year for completion by the 2016-17 season.

The stadium expansion is part of a £260m regeneration of the Anfield area of the city, which would also involve about 250 new homes being built, 296 old homes being removed and a 100-bed hotel being constructed.

The increased stadium capacity and added facilities meanwhile would allow Anfield Stadium to meet up with UEFA standards and put it in contention to host major international and European football matches.

UEFA standards include a minimum 50,000 capacity stadium, corporate accommodation and a minimum standard for the changing rooms of players and match officials, standards which Anfield does not currently meet.

Anfield Stadium opened in 1884 with a capacity of about 20,000 and was originally the home of Liverpool’s Merseyside rival Everton FC, until a row over rent saw the Toffees move across to Goodison Park and a newly formed Liverpool FC take up residence of the stadium from 1892.