‘The club wishes to update our supporters on the progress regarding the lifting of the Prohibition Notice issued by Sheffield City Council (SCC) on the North Stand at Hillsborough.

We continue to work closely with our professional advisors and contractors to ensure the North Stand can safely operate as usual from the first game of the new season.

To provide the necessary assurances, a schedule of works is currently being finalised. Our priority is to avoid relocating supporters for upcoming fixtures wherever possible.

At the June Safety Advisory Group (SAG) meeting, the club committed to undertaking the necessary works.

In addition, we agreed to conduct additional roof surveys ahead of the start of these works which were undertaken in mid-July.

Preliminary work has also been undertaken over the past week, carried out by a specialist team to prepare for the next phase.

The club can reassure our supporters that the North Stand has previously received letters of comfort from safety professionals to the end of last season – together with a Safety Certificate from SCC – affirming that safety has not been and never will be compromised.

However, to secure updated assurances, a plan for these works must be approved to satisfy the requirements of the SAG, a commitment we made in June and remain fully dedicated to delivering.

While we remain hopeful that all necessary steps can be completed ahead of the first home game of the season, contingency plans are being prepared in case this target cannot be achieved.

These include:

• The erection of a temporary access platform on the West Stand along with designated accessible entrance for wheelchair users if relocation is necessary
• Ensuring that North Stand Season Ticket holders have a method online to select alternative seats for any affected matches as simply as possible

Should it become evident that the North Stand cannot open for the first match against Stoke City on 16 August, these measures will be implemented swiftly but we will try our utmost to ensure the Prohibition Notice is removed rather than having to relocate supporters.

To avoid any additional confusion, the club have held back on issuing North Stand Season Tickets until the picture becomes absolutely clear. We fully understand that the start of the season is growing ever closer and will communicate further updates as soon as is possible.

In the meantime, we apologise sincerely for the uncertainty this situation has caused and thank everyone affected for your patience and understanding.’