Southend United Football Club (SUFC) has announced that it is planning to include a casino as part of a new 22,000-seat stadium development at Fossetts Farm in Essex.

The £46m scheme, which was given the go-ahead by the government last September after being called in for a public inquiry, has now been altered to incorporate the proposed casino, as well as a new football academy and a retail development. According to the Southend Echo newspaper, SUFC chair Ron Martin said that the proposed football academy would not be viable unless the casino, which is set to be operated by Rank Group, was included in the plans.

Martin told the newspaper: "When we were approached by Rank Group to include its planned casino for the town in the development, it was the obvious answer. Without it, the football academy we are trying to provide would not be a feasible proposition." The amended proposals, which were discussed at a meeting of Southend Borough Council's economic and environmental scrutiny committee on 20 April, still have to go through the full planning process.