Browse Sections

• Education
• Special reports

Weather

Spotty showers

3 day forecast

| Submit Comments | View Comments(4)

What's this?

• Email
• del.icio.us
• Digg
• reddit
• Facebook
• StumbleUpon
• Newsvine
• Google Bookmarks
• Netscape
• Technorati
• Windows Live
• Yahoo! MyWeb
• Ma.gnolia

£130M development for Salford

SALFORD is to get a state-of-the-art £35m new stadium for Salford City Reds rugby league team.

The government has given the go-ahead for the development after a public inquiry was held earlier this year.

The 22,000 capacity stadium will be built on an 80-acre site near the M60 between the A57 Liverpool Road and the Manchester Ship Canal at Barton.

The total development will cost an estimated £130m and will include a four star hotel, casino, and shopping mall.

Ruth Kelly's Department for Communities and Local Government took the decision after considering recommendations by a government inspector who conducted the inquiry.

As MP for Bolton, Mrs Kelly was not allowed to make the decision herself, and it was taken on her behalf by another planning minister.

But in a letter to Salford City Council the government says Mrs Kelly "agrees there is no good reason to question that a stadium with a capacity of 20,000 is appropriate.

"She concedes that if Salford Reds are to retain their place in the Super League the club must build a new ground on a site other than the existing ground at The Willows."

Salford City Council gave the scheme planning approval in November last year, but it was then "called in" by the government due to its size, and a public inquiry was held.

The government's decision is sweetest for Reds chairman, John Wilkinson, who has worked for six years to bring a new stadium.

Mr Wilkinson, who is Rugby League's longest serving chairman, had warned that if the new stadium was not built the club's only alternative was to move out of the city.

Originally Peel Holdings owners of the Trafford Centre revealed plans for a rival bid for their own stadium in the same location. But both parties eventually worked together and Peel now intend to help with sponsorship for the club.

The stadium is expected to have huge economic benefits for the city, creating jobs, and helping to put on the sporting map.

The council has already signed an agreement, which allows the club to lease some of its land for the stadium for 125 years.

The stadium will mean the club can compete with the elite of the game, like Bradford, Leeds, St Helens, and Wigan - and already recruited community development coaches to extend the appeal of the club into Bolton, Manchester, and Cheshire, and scour the country for outstanding talent.

Salford City Council's planning spokesman Con Derek Antrobus: "This decision is a huge boost for the city, and we are delighted for the club and its supporters who have all waited for this day with so much anticipation.

"We note the inspector's comments about the benefits which will arise from developing a new stadium in the city, and the importance of sport as a driver for regeneration. Now the detailed work will begin on delivering a world class, 21st century sports facility for a 21st century city."

Coun Norman Owen, leader of the council's Liberal Democrats, said: "It is not only about having a first class stadium but also about the community in the Barton and Winton areas, who have been starved of investment getting some benefit from this scheme.

"I am pleased for the fans but the community must also gain from the infrastructure that will now be put in place."

| Submit Comments | View Comments(4)

What's this?

• Email
• del.icio.us
• Digg
• reddit
• Facebook
• StumbleUpon
• Newsvine
• Google Bookmarks
• Netscape
• Technorati
• Windows Live
• Yahoo! MyWeb
• Ma.gnolia

Most recent 2 of 4 user comments