CHAIRMAN Eddie Mitchell has confirmed that Cherries this week started work on the planned new stand at Dean Court.

The enclosure at the south end of the ground will be a temporary stand, as exclusively revealed by the Daily Echo last month.

Cherries are aiming to complete the building work in time for the opening home game of the Championship season in August.

The club said the new stand had been hired on an initial two-year basis, with attendances determining whether Cherries opt to build a permanent facility.

Mitchell reported that the 2,400-seat stand would take the capacity of Dean Court to around 12,000.

The Cherries chairman told the club website: “We wanted to test the water and I think it would be wrong to build a permanent one when we don’t really know how viable it would be, so we decided to put in a temporary stand.

“It will be a proper stand with foundations and a roof. It won’t house a concourse and toilets in the same way a permanent one would, but it is the best temporary stand you will get, that’s for sure.

“It is three times the size of the temporary stand we had a few years ago and there is a lot of ground work to be done, but we are aiming to have it ready for the first home game of the season.”

The club said a decision on whether the stand would house home or away fans had still not been made, but the final call will be made in consultation with management duo Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall.