Birmingham City’s proposed new 62,000-seater stadium may be an ambitious project, but it is nothing compared to their previous plans.

The League One outfit announced earlier this year that they had acquired a 48-acre site within a mile of current ground St Andrews, with the aim of building a state-of-the-art stadium.

The Blues have long planned for a move away from the 29,000-capacity St AndrewsGetty

In April, the Blues‘ ownership group Knighthead revealed their plans to move into a 62,000-capacity new home in time for the 2029/30 campaign, with the venue set for a stunning spaceship-like design.

Located on the former Birmingham Wheels site in Bordesley, the proposal also includes training facilities for all of the club’s teams, and extensive commercial and community facilities.

And while the anticipated £2-3billion project shows the Second City side’s huge ambition, it may also ring a few bells among older fans.

That is because this isn’t the first time that plans have been in place for a major new development at Birmingham City.

Back in 2005, the then Premier League outfit set their sights on building a spectacular 55,000-seater arena on the very same site that is now set to become the club’s new home.

Called the Birmingham Sport Village, the major sports and entertainment complex was billed as a ‘super stadium’ which would attract tens of thousands of tourists to the city every year.

One key feature was to be a ‘super casino’, which would be part funded by American gambling and resort company Las Vegas Sands.

The proposal came in response to government plans for a first regional casino in the UK, which would have seen the complex house over 1,250 slot machines, and came with a £217million plan from the City council.

There were further plans for an Olympic-sized swimming pool, with foundations to host rugby and athletics tournaments as well as concerts.

Club officials were incredibly keen on the project, and talked up the huge opportunities it would open up for the city.

Birmingham have long been trying to expand – this is what the 2005 plans looked like

Current West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady was a driving force behind Birmingham City’s previous new stadium proposalgetty

Managing director at the time, Karren Brady, said: “It’s not just a stadium, it’s not a casino, it’s much more than that, it’s a village of sporting opportunities for Birmingham.

“It will help us host events in the future like the Commonwealth Games and will be so important if we are going to attract international athletes here in preparation for [London] 2012.”

She added: “This really is a once-in-a-lifetime regeneration project for Birmingham.

“We have a vision for Wheels Park that will create thousands of jobs and create a new destination unlike any other in this country.”

Unfortunately for the Brady and the Blues however, a number of concerns regarding the proposal, including objections from local councillors, ultimately saw the club’s plans of a move abandoned.

But with Birmingham now finally set to depart their 118-year home almost twenty years after first pitching the idea as a Premier League side, the future looks bright for the long-awaited new venue.

The Midlands outfit currently sit top of League One after their opening nine games, ahead of Hollywood-funded Wrexham in second.

Having suffered relegation from the second tier last season, the club invested heavily in the summer in a bid to bounce back immediately.

Located on the same site as their previous plans, the venue would offer huge opportunities for the community and the wider Birmingham City football clubX / BIRMINGHAM CITY

Backed by majority owner Tom Wagner and minority shareholder, NFL legend Tom Brady, the Blues spent around £34million recruiting new players.

This included smashing the League One transfer record to sign striker Jay Stansfield from Fulham in a deal that could be worth up to £20m.

With ambitions of returning to the top-flight for the first time since 2011, the club’s dream of filling out a stunning new stadium could finally become a reality in the not too distant future.