Building work has started on Hearts’ main stand with the demolition of the existing stand at Tynecastle.

The club shop, old stadium offices and an adult education centre will be torn down to create space for the new £12 million scheme.

The City of Edinburgh Council approved planning permission for the work last month and the club has spent the last few weeks clearing the site.

Workmen have now moved in to start taking down the old club office building for the initial phase of the redevelopment.

The existing, 102 year old, dilapidated stand will be replaced by the new stand and will house 7,290 seats that will increase stadium capacity to more than 20,000.

There will be hospitality lounges, new offices, a roof terrace, state of the art dressing rooms, a directors’ suite, media facilities, ticket kiosks and a new Tynecastle Nursery School.

The architect behind the design is Jim Clydesdale and he will also be responsible for the other three stands at Tynecastle.

The whole project is set to be complete by September next year and will complete the rebuilding of the ground.

While the work is completed, Hearts’ stadium shop and offices have been relocated to the back of the Wheatfield Stand, where they will be situated throughout the whole of the building work.

The plan is for the new stand to be constructed around the current one, the inside of which will then be excavated next summer.

The Tynecastle Stadium redevelopment plan was approved by councillors last month.

Hearts owner Ann Budge said last month that she expects the current 17,400 capacity to be unaffected while the work takes place.

“Inevitably there will be a bit of disruption because it is a big building programme but we absolutely keep that to a minimum and the supporters who still want to come and sit in the old stand will do so,” she added.