York City Football Club and York City Knights Rugby League Club are set to share a new stadium following construction of a £90m (US$137.1m, €106m) development, which will include a brand new 6,000-seat facility.

Planning permission was sought by Oakgate PLC in respect of a new retail development being built close to the site.

The stadium design permits expansion to 12,000-seats should the need arise, following York’s recent promotion to the football league, which saw a positive impact on club attendance.

Also being built as part of the development are a Marks and Spencer’s and a Next on the 339,000sq ft (31,494sq m) land area.

The project was temporarily delayed when a combination of unseasonably cold weather and the discovery of great crested newts - which are a protected species under Schedule 5 of the Wildflife and Countryside Act 1981 - meant construction had to be delayed so they could be re- homed.

The stadium, which is estimated to cost around £10.65m (US$16.12m, €12.5m), will be ready by Easter 2014, with the work expected to take 50 weeks to complete