Bristol's proposed new stadium will be more than a match for 2018 World Cup football, according to one of the men who worked on the new Wembley.

Portishead-based consultants Capita Symonds count England's national stadium alongside Old Trafford and Wimbledon's centre court on their CV and have been employed to bring their expertise to bear on the proposed Ashton Vale development.

The 44,000 capacity stadium would sit within sight of the Clifton Suspension Bridge at the end of the dramatic Avon Gorge and a stone's throw from the planned Fan Fest in the rolling green swathes of the Ashton Court Estate.

Martin Whife, Capita's director of major projects, told the Evening Post the plans currently before Bristol City Council for approval are impressive and believes the city will be ahead of rival World Cup host venues who are also basing their bids around new builds.

"It's a unique opportunity for Bristol," said Mr Whife. "It is not often that all the circumstances come together like this to happen. The right people, the right time, the right investors, the right land.

"(Bristol City FC) don't want to do it on a shoestring, they want something that will stand out as a regional stadium."

Funding still hinges on a separate planning application regarding the sale of City's current stadium, Ashton Gate, to Tesco. But the plans for the new stadium itself look likely to be approved after significant consultation with the council planning committee and Mr Whife is full of praise for the investment put into it to date.

"They've employed what I think are one of the strongest design teams in the country in Populous (formerly HOK) so you know you are going to get a quality design," he said. "It's not just a boring stadium."

But there are the problems of building on a former landfill site and pre-planning for the possible expansion from 30,000 to 44,000 should Bristol win the right to stage World Cup football in 2018.

"We're paying for things now which we don't need until such time as the stadium is expanded," explained Mr Whife who lives in Clifton and has made Bristol his home for the past 20 years.

"Bristol is the sixth largest city in England and we're a bit too modest. All my friends who come here think it's fantastic but we don't always shout about it like perhaps we should.

"I'm pretty convinced this is going to be the landmark stadium of the moment because of the strength of the team that has been involved."

While Capita concern themselves with the engineering obstacles surrounding the ability to expand the stadium, Vanguardia have been employed to ensure the song from the increased number of fans is amplified to perfection.

Jim Griffiths, director of acoustics, told the Evening Post the new stadium will sound significantly better than Ashton Gate due to the removal of gaps where sound escapes and the use of materials which better reflect the sound in the walls and roof of the stadium.

"You can design the best acoustics in the world," said Mr Griffiths, "but if you haven't got fans singing or players playing, well then, it won't work."

World Cup football in 2018 would be the perfect way to whip up a noisy legacy in Bristol.