ROME: Roma have won approval from the city of Rome to go on with preparations to build a 52,500-capacity stadium so the club can move out of Stadio Olimpico.

The Stadio della Roma project has been beset by a number of delays in recent months as the club discussed compromises to obtain approval at city and regional level.

A positive meeting with Mayor Virginia Raggi ended with agreement on several changes to the initial plans.

Raggi said: “Three towers eliminated, the space halved, 60 per cent less alone for the part relating to the business park.

“We’ve raised the standards of construction to class A4, the highest in the world. We’ll secure the district of Decima so that it will no longer be subject to flooding. We’ll build a new station for the Roma-Lido railway.

“We’ve revolutionised the design of the Roma stadium and turned it into an opportunity for Rome. We’ve always said that we’d be conducive to making the stadium happen, but only within the law and for the good of our city.”

Raggi added: “We’ve succeeded. We avoided the monster project inherited from the previous administration.

“In Tor di Valle, a new stadium will be built, but one that is modern, environmentally friendly, advanced from a technological viewpoint and, above all, a piece of art that respects the environment and land. A stadium done right.”

The Stadio della Roma-Tor di Valle project was first unveiled in 2014 and initial targets were for an opening during the current 2016-17 season. The city council this month stated that it would not support the project unless certain conditions were met.

Roma managing director Mauro Baldissoni said: “The previous project was born out of a resolution and an agreement with the former administration, and we made it known we were open to the idea of revising it according to the visions and needs of this new administration.

“Now we’re very proud and pleased to have come to an agreement that improves the project and offers the city a chance to be part of a big project that we believe can be a source of pride for everyone who lives here, regardless of whether they’re Roma fans or not.

“This is somewhat of an historic day not only for Roma, bringing our dream of having a modern infrastructure one step closer, but also for the city as a whole.”

Roma, who share the Stadio Olimpico with Lazio, aim to move into the new stadium by 2020-21 the latest.

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