Re: Stadium Statement : Fri Jul 16, 2010 11:34 am  

Gazemous wrote:

Aren't there community facilities at Glasshoughton? I'm sure one of the (many) delays was attributed to talks with the council on what public facilities the stadium would include

No idea. The community plans for the Newmarket development are clear to see. I believed that all that could be built on the GH footprint is the stadium. No room for training pitches, sports halls etc. If this is inaccurate I’m happy to be corrected.

Regardless it doesn’t alter the fact that NM doesn’t need a review. With the mechanisms in place it’s viable financially. The council are still proposing that two plots of land are used to aid the funding of a stadium rather than two they are not exactly saving anything.

As for the time constraints, Trinity can play out of alternative venue until Newmarket is ready. Saints are doing it next season. So even if it goes to a public enquiry and gets delayed by x amount of time, if plans are put in place to mitigate against this then that removes the extremely tight margin of error from the fray.

Re: Stadium Statement : Fri Jul 16, 2010 11:45 am  

Chairman Miaow wrote:

So all this ....."once planning permission is achieved, this will trigger the funding" ....was complete and utter rubbish. Yet more mis-information from the people "in the know".

We were all lead to believe that the funding was already in place - that is patently not the case.

We were all told categorically that the developer, Yorkcourt, would be funding the stadium - again, this was not true.

It appears that significant alternative sources of funding will have to be found - just how easy does anyone think that will be right now?

Lets just pretend that Yorkcourt do get the planning permission they want (and remember, as a commercial developer they do not want planning permission for a stadium, that is just a required sweetener for the council in order to get the industrial aspect of the scheme passed). Then they decide that, in this difficult economic climate, they can't afford to stump up the money for the stadium straight away. And the amount required to "top-up" their input (which has still not been quantified) cannot be sourced. What then? No-one can force them to build anything, yet they will have secured a very valuable site for development at a later date when it suits them.

It seems that the SWAG people are being outmanouvered (again) by the council. That's not a criticism, because WMDC are absolutely top drawer at all this schemeing and double-dealing stuff. But just like the Thornes Park fiasco, I have no doubt that this project will never be delivered.

I await more "keep the faith", "it WILL happen" , "well if you think you could do better" posts, which in my opinion achieve nothing apart from reassuring those who want to be reassured, and antagonising those who want proper answers.


The 150000 signatures were in support of a new stadium, not in support of a massive industrial complex. I signed it, obviously, but at the time nothing was said to me about a wider development.

This is just what I have been getting at for weeks, glad somebody else can see it.

Re: Stadium Statement : Fri Jul 16, 2010 11:48 am  

For Newmarket to happen it needed political will and support. It would appear that it no longer has that (if it ever really did?). Newmarket could go ahead on time, if the council wanted it to.
It looks to me like York Court will be offered a deal where they get planning permission for the whole site when the greebelt status is removed in 2013 in exchange for funding the shortfall at GH. What we don't get is the community sports facilities which make Newmarket the more attractive option for me.
This will no doubt produce a joint stadium in enough time to satisfy the RFL. A better stadium could be built but would two teams thrive? I could live with travelling the short distance to J32 but what guarantees would there be for 2 independent clubs?
WTRLFC-RIP-1873-2012?
The people of Stanley and Wakefield get a great big industrial estate and no sports facilities. NIMBYs, be careful what you wish for!

Re: Stadium Statement : Fri Jul 16, 2010 11:51 am  

There will be one community stadium in the District and both clubs will share it - anyone who believes otherwise is either naive to the ways of local government, or is deluding themselves.

After a year or so of sharing a ground, the clubs will merge and there will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth from some intransigent, old time supporters of both clubs; some fans will desert, but not many. Then the new entity, providing it's not run by Ted, will emerge as a force in SL; old fans will forget and new ones won't have known anything different and all will be well; exactly what should have happened 12 or so years ago.

Re: Stadium Statement : Fri Jul 16, 2010 11:52 am  

Of the 2 sites, Glasshoughton seems to have the more going for it. It has excellent transport including its own rail station and infrastructure already built It is no doubt an ideal spot with plenty of space and other amenities/attractions. Outline planning permission has been granted -albeit they have not been "signed off"as yet and they do seem fiurther on than we do. I do know they have engaged leasing agents to lease the stadiums undercroft sections to retailers, with some of these going to the local health authority and WMDC ( Health action zones, learning, clincs etc)

Newmarket requires fiull development, wie are getting a lot of negative publicity from the loclal resident groups, and opposition from our friends in Leeds, as well as transport and enviromental departments.

We have a lot of work to do to turn this around, with precious little time. I really feel for both sets of fans and both clubs who have had thier feet pulled from under them by the council, however the council is under severe finacial constraints, and will struggle to comply with thier statatory requirements.

The curent economic climate is not going to ease, money is in very short supply, if this wasn't the case i would suspect both stadiums would go ahead.

Re: Stadium Statement : Fri Jul 16, 2010 11:56 am  

youngcat wrote:

We have a lot of work to do to turn this around, with precious little time. I really feel for both sets of fans and both clubs who have had thier feet pulled from under them by the council, however the council is under severe finacial constraints, and will struggle to comply with thier statatory requirements.

That’s the point, the full value of WMDC ‘contribution’ is going to one stadium and not two. They are not saving any ‘money’. If they wanted to save money they could just back the stadium that only needs the one parcel of land to raise capital against. The one they said they would back to SWAG and the developer right after the General Election.

Re: Stadium Statement : Fri Jul 16, 2010 12:02 pm  

[quote="youngcat"]Of the 2 sites, Glasshoughton seems to have the more going for it. It has excellent transport including its own rail station and infrastructure already built It is no doubt an ideal spot with plenty of space and other amenities/attractions. Outline planning permission has been granted -albeit they have not been "signed off"as yet and they do seem fiurther on than we do.

Waystone signed the appropriate document last week , so the Glasshoughton project is light years ahead of Newmarket, there I go comparing bids when we should all be fighting this idiotic ground share (precurser to Maurice Lindseys dream of a merged team) and stand our own corners.
If the RFL want expansion then sharing a ground isnt going to guarantee Superleague status.

Both clubs, if they want to survive should just get on with their own projects and to Hell with the rest of the Rugby League world, after all we are in the 'golden triangle' the most productive area for Rugby League talent and both clubs will survive, They need us to

Re: Stadium Statement : Fri Jul 16, 2010 12:04 pm  

Much is made of this railway station, but can someone tell me where does it link to? Can you catch the train to there from Leeds? Wakefield? Cas?
I've not been on a train for a long time.

Re: Stadium Statement : Fri Jul 16, 2010 12:05 pm  

Off topic slightly, I am surprised to see that a few of you are equally surprised to see that politicians tell lies, thats just a fact of life

Re: Stadium Statement : Fri Jul 16, 2010 12:14 pm  

Everyone is going on about a shared ground,how long before the RFL come up with the bright idea of a shared team at the shared ground ?