Insider Media Limited

Derby County chief executive Tom Glick has told Insider the council's decision to give the green light to The Plaza @ Pride Park will provide the club with "a meaningful annual income stream" as it aims to return to the Premier League.

Councillors backed the scheme, which will be built next to the Pride Park stadium and will see its South West and North East corners converted to a mixture of restaurants, cafes, bars and convenience stores.

About 21,600 sq ft of office space and a new public space also form part of the granted plan. The Plaza @ Pride Park has also been designed to work in tandem with plans submitted by the council for its Multi Sports Arena, which, it is hoped, will start to be built this summer.

Glick said: "We want to be less dependent on the money we get from TV, and become more self-sufficient. I do believe television is good for the game – and we have an excellent relationship with both Sky and the BBC – but to generate our own income is a very important thing. This new development will set us apart."

Glick admitted he didn't have a set timetable for when work on The Plaza @ Pride Park will begin. "We're now beginning the process of talking to our development partners. We're conscious of the city's Multi Sports Arena, which is set to kick off late summer, and there are advantages of building the two schemes side by side.

"It's too early to say whether we'll work with a local developer or not – what we're conscious of now is getting the aesthetics of the new development so that it complements the stadium, as well as improving traffic flow on match days."

Glick told Insider he was still at Derby County "for the long haul". He added: "We want to get this club challenging at the top end of the Championship consistently, and then make the push on to the Premier League and survive there. We're starting to see real progress on the field, but there's no timescale for success."

Glick was part of the American-based General Sports and Entertainment consortium which took control of Derby County in 2008.

Speaking about the plans when they were unveiled last October, Rams boss Nigel Clough said: "I'm very excited about these plans.

"They look good and will hopefully be a huge success for the club all year round. I know the way that football is moving, and if we want to be really competitive within the Championship then the club has to maximise its revenues.

"More facilities for our fans on matchdays can only help in bringing more people to Pride Park and help inspire the team to future glory."