Singapore’s iconic Marina Bay Sands is seeking planning permission to build a fourth tower and a 15,000-seat entertainment arena.

The company has been planning the expansion since 2019, but the covid pandemic delayed it twice.

Now, the company says it wants to start construction by July 2025, with targeted completion by July 2029.

The tower will have a luxury hotel and extra conference and exhibition space.

The arena is intended to be “the leading live entertainment venue in Asia”, the company said, adding that it would “help attract top entertainers from Asia and around the world who previously may not have included Southeast Asia on their tours”.

Design is by Safdie Architects, led by Moshe Safdie, which designed the existing resort.

The resort said the expansion would help boost tourism in the city state.

The expansion is separate from a US$1.75bn improvement programme for the 14-year-old resort.

That saw the complete refurbishment of Hotel Towers 1 and 2, and refurbishment is now underway on Tower 3.

Since opening in 2010, some 470 million people have visited the resort, and it has hosted around 1,750 conferences and exhibitions.