STADIUM WAKEFIELD ACTION GROUP
2012
06-12-2012
Nearly two years after the Newmarket development was called in by the Secretary of State, news has filtered through that the project now has outline planning permission. After giving initial approval in June 2012, government office required a number of other documents, including a signed Section 106 agreement, before rubber stamping the decision. This was supposes to have been due in September 2012 but a delay on the Section 106 agreement meant that this was postponed with no time frame given. A few weeks ago James Elston, Chief Executive of Wakefield Trinity, confirmed that the Section 106 agreement had been submitted to the Secretary of State.
A detailed application is now required to be submitted to Wakefield Council but plans have already been drawn up and it is purely minor alterations that are required before this can be lodged with the local authority. The new stadium is expected to be completed in time for the 2015 Super League season.
21-06-2012
SWAG Are delighted to announce that we have recieved confirmation that the Secretary of State, Eric Pickles, is 'Minded to Approve' the planning application for Newmarket which includes the Community Stadium and future home of Wakefield Trinity.
8 years of hard work, meetings, protests, leafletting and a 15,000+ signature petition have all been worth while in our efforts to firstly alter the political will in Wakefield towards the Sport and in particular the Rugby League clubs and then more latterly in supporting their attempts to secure a facility in the Wakefield District.
We would also wish to thank all of those people in Wakefield and beyond who have supported us - our stregth has always been in numbers and our attempts could not work without them.
Our focus will now turn towards ensuring the delivery of the Stadium and we believe that the proposal, led by Yorkcourt, will soon realise the dream we have held firm to throughout our campaign!
19-06-2012
Unfortunately we are now aware that there has been a delay in the announcement of a decision regarding the Planning Application for Newmarket. The delay is unspecified, both in time and reasoning and, as such, there is little we guage from the current position.
SWAG remain confident that the scheme will receive the go ahead from the Secretary of State but of course we cannot guarantee that this will be the case. In the meantime we are advising supporters to remain calm and that there is no cause for alarm at this time.
18-06-2012
The decision for the Newmarket Stadium , which was set to be revealed tomorrow (June 19th 2012), has now been further delayed with no new revised time scale for an outcome. A spokesman for Eric Pickles’ office confirmed that the decision will not be announced as per the date previously given, which was in itself a delay on the initial 30th May 2012 deadline set earlier in the year.
12-06-2012
Newmarket Site Passes First Hurdle - LDF Approved!
As we draw closer to the announcement from the Secretary of States office on the outcome of the Public Inquiry for Newmarket (due on or before 19th June), a significant step forward was taken yesterday with the announcement that the LDF - Local Development Framework - proposed by Wakefield MDC has recieved approval from the Government office.
The effect of this announcement is that the Industrial Development area of the Newmarket site is no longer to be designated as 'Green Belt' land and is therefore available for the commercial purposes which will provide a significant element of the funding for the Community Stadium and Sports Facility proposed for the site.
Whilst we all still await the final decision on the Outline Planning Application, which is the 'Called In' document referred to in the Inspectors report (link below), we now believe that this clears the pathway to the proposals being approved and therefore takes us a significant step closer to our goal of having a 'Stadium for Wakefield'.
The LDF report can be found here:
The references to the Newmarket site can be found on pages 19 to 21.
Final ratification will occur at the next meeting of the local authority cabinet on 20th June.
12-06-2012
The biggest indication yet that a positive outcome to the Public Inquiry into the Newmarket Development will prevail was revealed with the news that the area surrounding the complex is set to be removed from Green Belt status.
The recent filed Local Development Framework (LDF), which sets out the council’s planning strategy for the area, has concluded that well all things are taken into consideration, the Newmarket site is the only viable location in which to situate the B8 industrial units in the district which, in respect of the proposed Wakefield Community Stadium, is promising news. The industrial units will provide the developers with the enabling works which will release the funding to permit the construction of the stadium to begin. This package will be further toped up by grants and a contribution from the Council by way of a lease of land. The LDF report is yet to be ratified by the council, but this is expected to be a formality.
The Secretary of State Eric Pickles will decide upon the future of the scheme within the next week.
11-06-2012
Newmarket Decision Day Imminent - Community Stadium and Associated Development
With the decision due from the Secretary of State, Eric Pickles, following the Public Inquiry for the plans for Newmarket, this will hopefully bring to a conclusion a campaign by SWAG - Stadium Wakefield Action Group - which has been in operation for over 8 years.
As a group, SWAG remain 'confident, but not complacent' over the outcome of the Public Inquiry, for which the hearings were held at Wakefield Town Hall back in December 2011. The Public Inquiry was held as a result of concerns raised by Leeds City Council and, initially, by groups such as Natural England and the Highways Agency, together with groups funded by and representing, in the main, the local residents most affected by the whole development. Of the Statutory bodies, only Leeds City Council remain officially in opposition, with agreements reached with all other bodies to their satisfaction. Leeds' objection has, in our opinion, always been more of a politically motivated nature, with the leader of the council, Cllr Keith Wakefield (sic) representing the neighbouring ward in Rothwell and, as such, their objections have appeared to lack strength and cohesion.
Also awaited is the outcome of the Wakefield LDF or Local Development Framework, the result of a process carried out over a number of years which identifies the districts development policy including suitable locations for additional housing, industrial development and, where appropriate, changes of Green-Belt designations. This process replaced the old Unitary Development Plans, or UDP's, and significantly, the area covered by the application for Newmarket is largely included in the local authorities proposal to remove this area from it's current Green-Belt designation. This is yet to be rubber stamped, however the opportunity for making amendments, if required, by the government inspector, has now long passed and the proposals for Newmarket were largely un-touched by the Inspector. As a result of this we expect that the fore-runner to the outcome of the Public Inquiry for Newmarket will be that the area becomes re-designated as development land which will, in essence, make the Public Inquiry a formality as the principal argument against the whole proposal was its use of Green-Belt land.
Most recently, the inspector for the PI requested comments from those who took part in the Inquiry process on the effect, or otherwise, of the new Planning Policy Framework document drawn up by the government to significantly simplify and speed-up the development process. SWAG accepted the offer to provide comments on this, to the effect that we believe that this policy has been changed to aid the development process and to remind the inspector that Newmarket not only would offer Wakefield the Community Stadium we have long since campaigned for, but also the potential for the creation of up to 2,000 new jobs, a significant number in any era but hugely magnified by the current economic status - and of course all backed by the signatures of over 15,000 people as a result of the SWAG campaign.
We maintain, as we have done from the announcement of the proposal for Newmarket, that this is the right site for Wakefield. It is close to the motorway (essential for the Warehousing proposed); has the right infrastructure; is on former colliery land; has made significant account of the local ecology and provides substantial funding towards the provision of a Community Sporting facility which will allow both professional and amateur sport to flourish whilst allowing the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats club to develop its award winning Community Programmes in areas such as Art, Health and Social Inclusion.
We therefore look forward to the imminent announcements, to be made 'on or before 19th June 2012' with a great sense of excitement and anticipation!
15-05-2012
Although it has been very quiet as of late, we are now approaching the end of the Public Inquiry into the Newmarket Development. The decision date was originally set to be on or before the 30th May 2012, however, this was put back to the 19th June 2012. Today marks five weeks until that deadline day. Confidence that a positive outcome will prevail remains high although it is by no means guaranteed.
Recent planning changes to government planning policy and Wakefield Council’s Local Development Framework (LDF) appear to reflect well upon the proposal just of Newmarket Lane, and it is hoped that should the development be approved, construction of the Community Stadium will be completed before the next round of Super League license renewals.