Rugby region the Ospreys have been granted planning approval by Swansea City Council to redevelop St Helen's.
St Helen's will be redeveloped into an 8,000-capacity stadium with the aim of transforming the historic ground into a premier venue for both professional and grassroots rugby which will also benefit Swansea University.
The Ospreys' future remains uncertain, with the Welsh Rugby Union considering cutting the number of professional teams in Wales from four to three or even two.
But Ospreys CEO Lance Bradley last week said he was hopeful of a "positive outcome" from talks with the WRU and the council granting planning approval does indicate confidence the club will be a part of the WRU's radical new structure for the professional game which it hopes to have in place for the 2027/28 season at the latest.
"This is an incredibly exciting moment and a vital step in building the future of the Ospreys and rugby across our region," said Bradley.
"I'm immensely proud of the work that's brought us here and grateful to our partners for their dedication and commitment to this project. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
"We're also very appreciative of the ongoing support from Swansea Council for the redevelopment of this iconic ground."
Work on the redevelopment is scheduled to begin following the conclusion of Swansea Cricket Club's season in September 2025.
Previously the Ospreys have said the redevelopment of St Helen's will be done in two phases. Get the latest breaking Welsh rugby news stories sent straight to your inbox with our FREE daily newsletter. Sign up here.
Phase one will see the installation of a new 4G pitch, a cover over the existing terrace, three new stands and a new fan zone, while phase two will result in a state-of-the-art training facility which will include a gym and a training barn.
The Ospreys, who have left the Swansea.com Stadium, plan to start playing games at St Helen's in early December but the venue for their first home United Rugby Championship clash against Zebre Parma on October 11 has yet to be announced.
They have already announced they will play a pre-season fixture against Exeter Chiefs at the Brewery Field in Bridgend on Saturday, September 6.
"There's already been some work taking place," Bradley told the Ospreys website last week. Join WalesOnline Rugby's WhatsApp Channel here to get the breaking news sent straight to your phone for free
"Some surveys have been done and a lot of planning has been done.
"You don't necessarily see that but there's already been a lot of work done here.
"In terms of spades in the ground that you'll see it was always the plan that it wouldn't start until the cricket club had finished in September.
"That remains the plan so I'm aware that people are saying 'oh I haven't seen anything happening'.
"There's been a huge amount happening behind the scenes and you'll start to see the work on the pitch, the work on installing the stands and the other work that's going on around the place you'll start to see that in September."
