Work to start on £37m sports stadium
WORK on a £37m sports stadium in York is set to start next year.
A consortium led by Greenwich Leisure will build York Community Stadium and Leisure Complex, which will provide an 8,000 seat ground and become home to York City Knights rugby team and York City Football Club.
It will also include a replacement swimming pool, fitness and active play facilities as well as a new community hub providing health and wellbeing services for York residents and visitors.
The council says it will put forward £8m of the £37m budget, with the rest coming from grants and revenue from commercial developments.
Coun James Alexander, leader of City of York Council, said: “Today’s announcement marks the completion of an 18 month procurement process and represents a significant milestone for the delivery of the York Community Stadium and Leisure Complex. Over the last three years we have made great progress in securing planning and funding, with work to begin in spring 2015.
“This landmark destination will provide an exciting mix of community and commercial leisure uses for the city which exceeds our original expectations. The commercial element provides the vast majority of the funding for the extensive community facilities. We are creating a leading family leisure destination in the North of England and are doing so with minimal impact to the public purse by leveraging £5 of commercial investment for every £1 of council spend.”
The leisure complex will replace the existing Waterworld and Courtney’s Gym complex adjacent to the stadium.
Chris Symons, director of development for GLL, said: “We are delighted to have been selected as the preferred bidder for the Community Stadium and Leisure Complex in York. The plans for the new stadium, leisure centre and community hub, are truly ground breaking and represent a unique scheme that is sure to become a flagship project regionally as well as nationally.”
A paper will be put to councillors on September 9 and a new full planning application is expected to be submitted in November or December this year.
Construction is expected to start in spring 2015 and facilities will be operational by late summer 2016.
