Barcelona has reached an agreement to lift the bureaucratic red tape surrounding the Espai Barça project, which will include a substantial redevelopment of its Camp Nou home, reports SportBusiness.

First approved in March 2016, Espai Barça has been hit by regulatory challenges. However, the Barcelona City Council Governing Board has now provisionally accepted a Modification to the General Metropolitan Plan (MPGM), thereby making Espai Barça possible.

One of the most important changes to the transformation is that the Camp Nou and other Barcelona facilities will be opened up rather than forming an urban barrier. The premises will blend into the districts of La Maternitat and Sant Ramon and will be permeable, with new private spaces made available for public use without enclosures, joining with other public, road and green spaces in the environs of the Camp Nou and the current Miniestadi.

Construction started on the 6,000-seat Estadi Johan Cruyff, which will host reserve, youth team and women's matches, in September and is scheduled to be completed in February. However, lack of final approval at the municipal level, after initial backing in July, was said to have led to delays for the main projects under the Espai Barça vision.

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has now said work on the Camp Nou is expected to begin in the summer of 2019, while other projects could commence in the first quarter of next year with the goal of completion in 2022.

Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau said, according to Spanish newspaper Marca: "It's a historic project for the city. To reach this agreement, until now the balance between the benefit for the club and the benefit to society has not been achieved, despite many hours of dialogue.

"The Camp Nou will now go from being a closed space, to a space open to the neighbourhood, friendly and where people can engage in lifestyle and city activities, with 32,000 square metres of green areas and underground parking. All this will be done without any expense for the city of Barcelona, despite what the city earns. It's a big gain for the city, at zero cost."

The Camp Nou, which first opened in 1957, has a current capacity of 98,888. Through the redevelopment the historic stadium will be expanded to a final capacity of around 105,000. It will continue to consist of three tiers, with the first tier being completely rebuilt to offer greatly enhanced views, the second tier granted cosmetic upgrades and the top tier being extended to encompass the west side of the stadium. All seats will also be covered, with a roof only existing on one side of the stadium at present.