The City Council Licensing Committee will revoke the general safety certificate for Whitby Town Football Club's (WTFC) stadium at its meeting on Tuesday, January 7.
The club's Towbar Express Stadium at Turnbull Ground, Upgan Lane, currently has a capacity of 507 seats and is an officially regulated stand.
However, WTFC has said it wants to ease restrictions by reducing the number of seats in the stands to less than 500.
In October 2024, staff from North Yorkshire Council visited the Main Stand. The main stand had 495 seats, plus six spaces for disabled people and six seats for companions.
These spaces and seats are included in the main stand capacity and are calculated as 507.
In November, the club's chief executive sent photographic evidence of seats being removed from the main stand and confirmed calls for restrictions to be eased.
Last month, New York City officials conducted another visual inspection of the stand and found it had a capacity of 498 people, noting that it no longer met the definition of a regulated stand.
As part of the deregulation process, the Sports Ground Safety Authority (SGSA) has acknowledged and consulted on the reduction in seating capacity and the revocation of safety certificates.
SGSA said it had no objections, but added: “We hope clubs will discuss their plans with local authorities and reach a common understanding regarding continued support, entry rights and testing.”
It also said clubs' obligations “are not reduced under any other legislation or guidance”, including the Sports Ground Safety Act 1975.
The current General Safety Certificate has been in effect since March 2006, according to a report prepared for the agency's Licensing Subcommittee.
The committee was recommended to approve the proposal at a public meeting to be held at Scarborough Town Hall on Tuesday, January 7, from 10am.
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