Builders are warming up to start work on the site of Colchester's Community Stadium.
The first temporary buildings moved on to the Cuckoo Farm site on Monday, and progress is being made off the field to tackle the final stumbling blocks before the whistle can blow for building work to start.
A planning application setting out the final design of the 10,000-seater stadium was handed in to Colchester Council last week, and a legal agreement to allow the stadium to be built before a new junction on the A12 is close to being signed.
The council needs fellow landowners English Partnerships and North Essex Mental Health Partnership to agree to the change.
Steve Clarke, head of renaissance programme for the council, said that "important progress is being made" and builders Barr Ltd could start work next month if all goes to plan.
But fans eager for an idea of what the final design looks like will have to wait a little longer, with a new artists' impression currently on the drawing board.
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