Of course they are refusing! We are currently going through austerity- people would rather millions be spent on local social services, schools etc!

Have they? Really? They've all piggy-backed other developments.

A brief history, if it helps:
- developer gets sweetened land deal on the back of a promise to council to build a stadium (as has happened elsewhere)
- once land is developed, developer refuses to build
- Council agrees to further development outside scope of original promise so doesn't have to enforce promise
- Belle Vue goes up for sale. Trinity told not to bid for it as will be bought by original developer to fulfil promise
- original developer does not bid for it and bought by someone else
- new owner wants to develop and is promising to rebuild stadium as the sweetener
- club owner senses another trap and say want it on the terms promised by the original developer that got the very first sweetened land deal
- Council spit out dummy

Complicating factors:
- council run by a Castleford season ticket holder who seems intent on shafting Trinity
- a prominent person on the original Trust that had the job of delivering the stadium left and was said to be setting up his own Trust
- talk is now of "commercial rent"

The one thing that is different now is that the club is no longer willing to be taken for a mug by people who see the desire for a new stadium as a way of furthering their own agenda/profits/schemes.

Whatever was "promised" on Newmarket doesn't transfer to a scheme to re-develop Belle Vue. That is the stumbling block. Because WT were shafted by Yorkcourt Properties doesn't mean the council and ratepayers have to foot the bill no matter how much Carter stamps his feet.

The two defining acts which has led to this shambles are A) Ted Richardson selling the club and stadium under the fans noses and B) failure to see Sir Rodney Walker sign off the agreement regarding Newcold which you were all warned about before the event.

It's clear from the article where the stumbling block is.

The council have clearly offered to re-develop the stadium, the offer is still there as I read it.

Wakey simply want a free shiny new ground, p[ay nothing towards the cost of it, keep all the revenue from it and pay sod all back in rent for the privilege. Simples

Those are two crucial events that led to the debacle, and it's interesting that one of the people you mentioned is still floating around the whole thing, but the club in its current guise have acted properly throughout and are being shafted by people with different agendas.

You and I both know that the most recent Council statement is all down to the Council kicking off because Trinity are not rolling over and being taken for mugs again. As has been said by the club on countless occasions, they want nothing more than has been promised to them for years, promises that have certainly benefited immensely those who made the empty promises as well as the ratepayers of Wakefield.

Not simple at all - and in a world where opinion trumps fact, this feels like tilting at windmills - but I'll give it a go.

The original proposal, for a new stadium at Newmarket, was based on a s106 agreement with Yorkcourt Properties; they got planning permission on land that would otherwise have been unavailable, in return for building a community stadium, with WT as anchor tenants. They've reneged on that from day 1, with WMDC's willing assistance, and this deal was meant to be a replacement for that; which it clearly isn't, as it proposes to charge the club a rent that isn't sustainable.

So as it stands, Yorkcourt are making millions off land they should never have been allowed to build on, the new developer bought Belle Vue uncontested due to Rodney Walker's dishonesty, and now the terms have been changed so radically, that the club don't feel it will be sustainable to agree.

There's a lot of people at fault here - but to imply that WT are looking for a stadium at taxpayers expense is simply not factual - they're just looking for the developer to meet their legal obligation, and if WMDC had any will to deliver this project, they'd be doing the same thing.

"Dear Council,
can we have all this greenbelt land. We'll make a complete mess of the landscape by building horrendous eyesores, but to make it worthwhile we'll build a ground that the club, and any other community group, can use at a low rent".

'Dear Yorkcourt,
that sounds great. Crack on."

"Dear Council,
we've built it. We've decided not to build the stadium. Thanks anyway."

"Dear Yorkcourt,
No worries. Lol."

"Dear Trinity,
Council here. Soz. All gone south."

"Dear Council,
Trinity here. That's not fair. Do something about it."

"Dear Trinity,
Nah."

Years pass ....

"Dear Trinity,
Stop going on and on. Okay, we give in. As we were, but we'll do Belle Vue instead. Okay."

"Dear Council,
Okay, but obviously on the same terms as before, as a promise is a promise."

"Dear Trinity,
Okaaaay,"

Weeks pass

"Dear Trinity,
Changed our minds. Proper rent, and if you want the money from drinks and food, you can do one. I don't care if it means you can't grow as a club. After all, we've already one got one great club in our area."

And on it goes ....

Bet they wish they took the offer of a groundshare with Cas now - ironic that pride at the time could cause the ultimate demise of their club.

It's become a joke now and i've seen posts all over social media mocking this latest failure, it must be pretty embarrassing for most Wakey fans even though they will still throw the 'it's the councils fault, they won't gift us a free stadium' line out everytime this happens.

I think the whole of RL has now realised Wakefield wont ever get a new ground no matter how many times they release statements saying they've got the green light !!!

Think you'll find that the Council was the main flag-bearer for the latest proposal. It rescued them from the hot water being thrown around at the time, given them some breathing space, and now they hope to cast the blame on the club. In fact, the club stance has never changed. They want what has been promised, those promises already benefiting everyone else involved to a huge extent, except the club, who have always suffered.

The promises made would allow the club to grow. The changed promises won't. The club won't agree to something that won't let them grow.

It is not unreasonable to want what people have promised. The club has reneged on nothing.

Wakefield and Castleford should stop being so stubborn and share a new stadium. Neither club can afford a stadium on their own and both currently have ancient stadia with terrible facilities.

Strangely enough that's not the daftest thing that's been said on this thread.

Try and keep up.
The council were asked to "loan" the cash needed to build the stadium until the developer (Yorkcourt), whom they have allowed to build on the site at NM, paid them the agreed amount.
Micheal Carter said that he would pay any interest on said "loan" to avoid the council being out of pocket.
The issue here is that the developer, having secured masses of building land in the back of promising to build a community stadium, is being "allowed" by WMDC, to renege on their promise to build the ground, contravening the terms of the agreement and the council by "allowing" them not to build what was promised at the public hearing are stuffing Wakefields hopes of continuing in the top flight of RL and failing to fulfil their obligations as a Metropolitan Council.
It's not a case of building a RL Stadium instead of spending the cash on Hospitals, schools etc, they simply need to enforce the agreement everyone signed up to.
Rock all to do with austerity just local government intransigence and this has gone on for too long.
How we can go from "peppercorn" rent to "commercial" rent within the last 5 weeks is just mind boggling.

Would you expect Bradford to share with you at Headingly rather than the millstone that is Odsal? Of course not.

There could have been scope more than ten years ago to build somewhere between the two, like Normanton, which sits on the boundary. That chance has gone. To move into Cas's proposed ground, and it is their proposed ground, and is in Castleford, would be the end of Wakey. Similarly, if Cas were expected to move into Wakey's new proposed stadium.

Wakey playing somewhere like Dewsbury is less problematic, as there isn't the shared rivalry, and that in fact might happen. The only problem then is that it is not in Wakefield, which would mean that the city would have lost its only professional sports team. What a sad indictment that would be for the council.

No, & neither did Wakefield's, until they were royally shafted by the developer, all in clear view of the local authority.

Quote: wrencat1873 "How we can go from "peppercorn" rent to "commercial" rent within the last 5 weeks is just mind boggling.'" A statement from the council with the club a month back that clearly states 'Commercial Rent' begs to differ. This was dated 20th September so unless someone at the club has missed something again then WT knew it was a commercial rent the council were proposing. [i"The future of the new Belle Vue proposal now rests with the Club and a Trust who need to produce a robust business plan that clearly demonstrates how they will generate income to meet the running costs and commercial rent."[/i Here :- www.wakefield.gov.uk/planning/re ... ty-stadium

Quote: wrencat1873 "How we can go from "peppercorn" rent to "commercial" rent within the last 5 weeks is just mind boggling.'" A statement from the council with the club a month back that clearly states 'Commercial Rent' begs to differ. This was dated 20th September so unless someone at the club has missed something again then WT knew it was a commercial rent the council were proposing. [i"The future of the new Belle Vue proposal now rests with the Club and a Trust who need to produce a robust business plan that clearly demonstrates how they will generate income to meet the running costs and commercial rent."[/i Here :- www.wakefield.gov.uk/planning/re ... ty-stadium