2,200 jobs to be created as plans lodged for stadium

Castleford Tigers and Highgrove Group have confirmed applications have been submitted for a major upgrade to the Wheldon Road stadium and a new employment development on the Axiom site, at the M62’s Junction 32.

If planning is approved by Wakefield Council, the £200m Axiom Yorkshire proposals will provide £12.2m of funding towards major upgrades at Wheldon Road and £15m of highways improvements to the Junction 32 roundabout, and new employment, logistics and manufacturing floorspace.

Once fully developed, the Axiom site will deliver around 1,830 permanent full-time jobs in Castleford, with a further 365 jobs created within the Wakefield Council area.

Approximately 1,500 construction jobs will be created per year during the works at both Wheldon Road and the
Axiom employment site.

It is anticipated the Axiom proposals will generate around £142m of local economic activity, once fully operational.

Funds raised by the proposed Axiom employment development would supplement Wakefield Council’s £2m grant to Castleford Tigers via its Rugby League Resilience Fund.

This mirrors the mechanism of the recent planning approval at Newmarket Lane which is providing funds to redevelop Wakefield Trinity’s Belle Vue ground.

Proposed improvements to the Wheldon Road stadium will mean the club can meet Super League standards.

A new all-seater main stand will be constructed, providing modern sporting facilities for players and officials, along with a banqueting suite and corporate hospitality function rooms.

Refurbishment of Wheldon Road, Princess Street and Railway End stands are also proposed, along with the provision of a floodlit 4G training pitch.

Improved accessibility and enhanced viewing areas will transform the matchday experience for fans with disabilities.

The separate planning application for the Axiom site at Junction 32 proposes development of up to 1.5 million sq ft of employment floorspace, across 13 units of varying sizes.

22 acres of open space and landscaping will be created, which will see some 40,000 new trees planted.

Mark Grattan, Castleford Tigers RLFC managing director, said: “This is a really important moment for the club and the town more widely.

“If both planning applications are approved, the money raised will secure the future of Castleford Tigers at Wheldon Road for a generation, at an important time for Rugby League, with Super League considering a move to a grading system.

“The quality of our home is critical to our future sporting success, and these plans provide an upgrade to player training and medical facilities.”

A spokesman for Axiom Yorkshire, owner of the Junction 32 site, said: “On top of the much-needed improvements for the Castleford Tigers stadium, if approved, the Axiom proposals will deliver around 2,200 jobs, generating wide-ranging socio-economic benefits for the local area.

“We had particularly useful feedback from residents living near the Axiom site and our design team has taken great care to work through these comments to ensure that the employment development is of the highest quality and offers the most benefits to the whole community.”