Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC) has unveiled plans for a 20-year, £50m (US$83m, €61m) expansion of Headingley, in order to safeguard the ground’s status as an international venue.

The project, drawn up between the club, Leeds City Council, Leeds Rugby and DLA Architecture, will see the ground’s capacity increased from 17,090 to 20,362 and consist of six phases.

Once complete, the stadium will feature a new progressive pavilion, as well as a shared stand with the adjoining Leeds rugby ground. Other new features include new floodlights, roofing and landscaping of the ground’s concourses.

The first phase of the development will see new floodlights installed by the start of the next county season, while adjustments to increase capacity following the creation of a shared £15m (US$25.1m, €18.4m) stand should be finished by 2019.

The plan also includes non-time specific developments, which are made up of the addition of 915 seats to the upper tier of the ground’s North East Stand, as well as the creation of a new £20m (US$33.5m, €24.6m) cricket pavilion.

“This is the most ambitious project the club and the venue will have undertaken since the ground was first established 125 years ago,” said Colin Graves, YCCC chair.

“Our ambitions are clear. We want to create a stadium that is amongst the finest in the world and one that will enable Yorkshire to continue to stage major international fixtures over the long term.”

The ground is currently guaranteed international cricket until 2019, with the redevelopment of the venue seeking to help push the current agreement with the England and Wales Cricket Board further into the future.