Council set to scrap Workington super-stadium plan
Last updated at 11:45, Monday, 16 November 2009
The long-running dream of a new £31.4 million sports facility for Workington, incorporating an all-purpose super stadium, could be set to perish.
Plans for a lavish new stadium for the town, based at Workington Town’s Derwent Park, are no longer favoured.
And a meeting of Allerdale’s full council on Wednesday will instead consider a recommendation from the Derwent Valley Task Group for an alternative £16m sport and leisure development based on the current Tesco store site.
This would leave Town’s Derwent Park and nearby Borough Park, home of Workington Reds, untouched.
Councillors are recommended to support a development proposal including a 25-metre eight-lane swimming pool, up to regional level short-course competition standard, and teaching pool.
Plus a full size floodlit 3G all-weather pitch suitable for football and hockey, fitness suite with kids gym and creche, and four badminton and three squash courts, with facilities for five-a-side soccer, volleyball and basketball.
Supermarket giant Tesco has given Allerdale a contract completion date of March 1, next year for the £18 million sale of council land to build a new store at Laundry Fields.
Workington Reds opposed from the outset a proposal to share the new stadium with their rugby neighbours and preferred to revamp Borough Park.
Chairman Humphrey Dobie expressed his concern that the council could now press ahead with an alternative plan that would not benefit Reds, who had wanted £2.25 million to re-develop Borough Park.
“We didn’t want to go to a joint stadium, but at least we would have got a new ground,” he said today. “We very much preferred the option to refurbish both grounds. We have been pushing it for years, and to come to the end of the line and for another option to come over the horizon is very disappointing indeed.”
First published at 11:38, Monday, 16 November 2009
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk
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I am pleased to see that the council is not going to become involved with professional sport in giving the town modern leisure facilities. The money, when it eventually comes, from Tesco needs to be used for the benefit of ordinary people and not to subsidise professional sport.
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New leisure development is much needed, building this betwwen two crumbling stadiums is not.Refurbishing two crumbling stadiums is not good use of Tesco money but refurbishing one could be !
I would also like to suggest that any proposed swimming pool is 50 metres not 25. This would attract people from a wider radius as well as being more beneficial for local swimmers.Refurbishing Derwent Park is the logical choice as it already accommodates rugby and speedway. This wwould mean the Reds sharing. Clubs could be in charge of their own finances while working together for their mutual benefit.
Posted by steve straughton on 16 November 2009 at 18:39