The redevelopment of the home ground of Waterford GAA, Walsh Park, has gotten the green light from the Waterford County Council.
The refurbishment of the stadium is set to cost up to €7m and will see the capacity of Walsh Park increase from 11,350 to 16,00 people.
Waterford's senior hurlers had to play their home matches in this year's Munster championship in Semple Stadium in Thurles and the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick due to the limited size of facilities at the ground.
Planning permission was granted by the local council on numerous conditions, including the requirement of the Waterford County GAA Board to operate a traffic management plan for larger fixtures.
Under the redevelopment plan, all existing structures in Walsh Park with the exception of the main Southern Stand will be demolished.
New features will include bucket seating to replace the traditional wooden benches, an uncovered seating stand will be built opposite the main stand with a covered terrace at the Keane's Road end of the ground and an uncovered seated stand at the opposite end.
The redevelopment works are anticipated to take up to a year which means Waterford inter-county hurling team will continue to play next summer's home games outside of the county.
