£30m Orford Park project gets green light
WARRINGTON council has granted final planning permission for the redevelopment of Orford Park into a £30m community sports village.
The development will transform 50 acres of a former landfill site as well as enhancing the facilities of an adjacent Victorian community park.
Scheduled to open in November 2011, Orford Park is expected to have 2 million visitors each year.
It will provide a range of community, health and education facilities including a community sports village complete with pools, sports hall, health and fitness suite, football pitches, library, health centre, and a £3.9m 14-19 Diploma Centre.
The planned presence of a commercial retailer on site will also provide significant regeneration opportunities, according to the council, while the extended site masterplan includes the complete replacement of William Beamont School in 2012 under the Building Schools for the Future programme, and full integration with the redevelopment of Warrington Collegiate.
Ian Marks, leader of Warrington Borough Council, said: “This project plays an important part in the vision for Warrington to become an outstanding town for all its people. The scheme will regenerate a site at a key route into the town, attract private sector investment and enable Warrington to play a major role in providing a long-term 2012 Olympic legacy in the North West.”
Andy Farrall, Orford Park champion at the council, said: “The council and its partners will now move quickly to begin construction of this imaginative and nationally important project. It is key to the regeneration of the community and in the development of sport and healthy lifestyles in the Borough.”
The Northwest Regional Development Agency will invest £3.6m in the development, while sports charity The Football Foundation has awarded its maximum grant of £1m.
