SWINDON Town are set to embark on the first phase of the County Ground redevelopment.

Chief executive Nick Watkins said the club is at a “critically important” stage.

The board of directors met earlier this week where they identified a project management firm, and will now set about producing a business plan and financial viability study which they hope to complete by the end of May.

Chairman Andrew Fitton has made no secret of his desire to keep the club in the heart of the town with a phased development, rebuilding each section – apart from the Don Rogers Stand - one by one.

And Mr Watkins said they will now set about finding out exactly what is required for Swindon’s revamped stadium, which the club hope to complete in 2013.

“We have identified a project manager and, having been through all of the presentations, each one raised a number of issues and created some avenues of thought for what is possible,” said the chief exec.

“Phase one is the most critically important at this stage and we think that will take about 12 weeks.

“Phase one will see us appoint a project manager and, in tandem with that, begin to build the financial case and the business plan.

“That will require some thought in terms of what we can put on the site but, more importantly, also finding out what there is a demand for in and around Swindon - be it a hotel, a conferencing venue, a fitness club, primary health care or whatever it is.

“We have to build something that people actually have a requirement for, rather than build something on spec and then find there’s no demand.”

Watkins is confident the process will move along smoothly now the wheels are in motion, and explained that the board hope to submit plans to the local council by the end of this phase.

“While we are putting the financial study together we will be talking to planners, traffic consultation people, involving them, and then come up with our plans which will involve certain bits of architectural design speculation.

“These will be taken to the council, where we will present them with the business case, what we propose to build and establish whether it will be acceptable to them.

“After that we can move to phase two, which is the design and the whole commercial part of it, and then get underway.”

Watkins would not reveal the name of the project management firm until they are officially appointed, but admitted: “It is a company who have got a raft of experience in and around the areas we are looking at, which is redevelopment of a stadium in situ, maximising the potential capacity during that redevelopment.”