Plans for a new £30m main stand at Edgbaston cricket ground in Birmingham have taken a step forward with the appointment of an engineering company.

Mott MacDonald will provide all engineering services for Warwickshire County Cricket Club (WCCC), including structural and mechanical services on a new 9,000-seat stand. It is part of redevelopment plans for the ground which will include the upgrade of catering, media and press facilities.

The new stand will occupy a quarter of the pitch's perimeter, and has been designed by architects Broadway Malyan.

David Hooper, Mott MacDonald's stadium expert, said: "There are a number of challenges we will have to overcome during the development including the proximity of the stand to the site boundary."

Planning applications are expected to be submitted later this year. A spokesperson for WCCC said however, that it was too early to provide much more detail at this stage, although the club is looking for someone to develop some of the land around the ground to help fund the cost of the new stand project.