Carillion will extend the Main Stand after Liverpool City Council’s Planning Committee passed a resolution to grant planning permission.

The club has also been given the green light for outline proposals to extend the Anfield Road Stand.

The redevelopment of the Main Stand could add an additional 8,500 seats, taking its capacity to nearly 21,000 and overall Anfield capacity to around 54,000.

The outline proposals for the Anfield Road Stand provide for an increase in its capacity of around 4,800 seats.

Carillion will start construction on the Main Stand early next year which is due to be complete in time for the 2016-17 season.

Matches will continue to be played at Anfield during the construction work.

The stadium expansion is just one element of a major £260m regeneration plan for the Anfield area.

The mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, said: “This is a very important milestone in our ambitions to transform the Anfield area, bringing new jobs, investment and housing.

“The overall regeneration will see £260m invested in Anfield. Liverpool Football Club’s proposals for the stadium are a key part of this. The club is a major employer in the area and its stadium is a major draw for tourists and visitors.”

LFC’s chief executive officer, Ian Ayre, said: “Today’s approval by the Planning Committee is another step on our journey which we embarked on nearly two years ago.

“We received very positive support for our proposals during a public consultation exercise earlier this year and whilst we are delighted about the progress made today, there are still some steps that we need to navigate through in order to give us the certainty that we need to proceed with our expansion plans.”