Bid for all party support for York Community Stadium
With the planning application for the new Community Stadium held up as highways issues are reviewed, the York Council will today decide to set up an all party monitoring group for the project.
Such a group was in place until 2011, after which the newly elected Labour Council decided to take project decisions behind closed doors.
The result was a two year delay in moving things forward with the complication of adding City-wide swimming and indoor sport management responsibilities into the contract.
One consequence was the closure of Waterworld and an emerging threat to the future of the Yearsley swimming pool.
The war between the Councils Labour Leadership and the Knights Rugby Club continues with both sides now engaged in a “mentoring” process.
A “call in” of the planning application by the Highways Agency is adding to the delays with even the most optimistic supporter now doubting whether the stadium could open as promised in July 2016.
The establishment of the all party group is a welcome step forward and should help to sustain the project over the “all out” Council elections, due on May 7th. The make up of the monitoring group would be:
- 1 x Labour
- 1 x Conservative Group (Councillor Steward)
- 1 x Liberal Democrat Group (Councillor Ayre)
- 1 x Green Group (Councillor Taylor)
- 1 x Labour Independent
- 1 x Independent
- 1 place for a Ward Councillor (Councillor Orrell – Huntington & New Earswick)
Builder for new York Community stadium announced
Completion date slips to “Autumn 2016”
An article in “Construction Enquirier” has claimed that the new Community Stadium will be built by ISG.
ISG is a Yorkshire based company.
The article claims that the stadium will be completed in “Autumn 2016”.
That conflicts with the July 2016 occupation date previously publicised by the York Council and means that the football club may not be able to move home until the 2017/18 season.
The delays will come as no surprise to the many commentators who have queried the 15 month construction timetable.
The scheme has yet to get planning permission while the future of the Knights Rugby team is under question following a very public disagreement between a senior Council official and the Knights chairman.
The Enquirer article reads;
ISG has been confirmed as the preferred construction partner for the £41m York Community Stadium and Leisure Complex scheme.
ISG will be part of the successful consortium bid by Greenwich Leisure Ltd to build a new home stadium for York’s professional football and rugby teams including leisure, retail, office and community facilities.
The new 8,000 all-seater stadium will include hospitality and conferencing facilities, a new 25m six-lane swimming pool, fitness and active play facilities and a community hub.
Work is expected to start on site this summer with completion scheduled for autumn 2016.
ISG is believed to have beaten rivals Carillion and Barr to the deal.
Danny Murray, ISG’s Northern regional managing director, said: “Our involvement in the York Community Stadium project extends back to 2012 and we have worked closely with GLL and our consortium partners to bring the vision for this keynote regional leisure scheme to reality.
“ISG has exceptionally strong leisure sector credentials, delivering iconic sporting venues like the Olympic Velodrome and the National Football Development Centre in Newport, and we are looking forward to working with our consortium partners to create superb new facilities for York.”