Italian club AC Milan has been given the green light to build a new €330m (US$363m, £236m) stadium in the north of the city.

The seven-time European football champions’ plans for a new 48,000-capacity stadium in the Portello region of Milan were approved by city administrators after a six-month long consultation period.

Designed by sports architects Arup, the club has described the stadium as “the most innovative in the world”. The design team led by Arup studied 70 different stadia across the world before producing the plans.

As well as a new stadium, plans include a hotel, a sports college, restaurants, green areas and public art spaces.

The mixed-use project will take its inspiration from English stadiums, with the purpose of creating a multi-use venue which is operational on non-matchdays and can be reached by public transport.

To limit the venue’s impact on the surrounding area, the stadium will be built partly underground, resulting in the building only being 30m tall at its highest peak. The design also includes a moveable roof to mitigate noise, while special attention will be dedicated to the social and environmental needs of the users.

Part of the club’s motivation to produce sustainable and environmentally considerate plans stems from the fact that residents of Milan have previously opposed the club’s relocation plans.

See below a video on the plans published by AC Milan

The club’s vice president, Barbara Berlusconi, said: "Today is a historic day. The new stadium will offer an urban stadium, promote the development of the area that will host it – and make it safer and a symbol of the city – and will completely change the mentality of those who have gone to the stadium, proposing services and moments of entertainment not only for the 90 minutes of the game.

“Our plans will discourage private cars and instead encourage public transportation. Milan, therefore, will be like London. In fact, London also has urban stadiums, they can be reached by metro and have allowed the redevelopment of the areas in which they were built.

“In addition, for Milan, it is essential for the commercial development of the club. The use of the stadium overall will bring in €50m (US$55m, £36m) to €80m (US$88m, £57m) euros per year. This income will also be used to buy new players."