Heard today that a new underground reservoir consisting of giant tanks is earmarked for the Balne Lane site in order to prevent flooding when heavy rainfall
flows downhill from St Johns into the Balne Lane area flood plain. The source stated that there will be NO new rugby stadium there.

Just submitted mine having returned from holiday to see the latest attempt by the YC shysters to wriggle out of their obligation.

It's at well over 400 by now - and having been involved in quite a few contested planning apps, the usual process is to allow objectors to attend, but only certain spokespeople to present to the planning committee. In my experience however, if the committee is minded to approve, which it certainly will be having had their instructions from Mr Box, they will approve regardless of the weight of objections.

What we do have on our side is that the objections are material - they often aren't, being NIMBY based (house prices, view etc) - and with the potential for legal action, WMDC may well be on notice to handle this one with extreme care. Or maybe they'll take their usual attitude, and not give a shiny $hit what the optics are.

With an extended time scale and returning to the publicity side, could something be included in the match day programme?

The following letter has just been added to the planning portal:

Contact: Michael Eaglestone Our ref: 18/01169/FUL
Direct Dial: 01924 303396 Your ref: PP-06573548
Date: 6 September 2018

Yorkcourt (200icon_cool.gif Limited
c/o Mr Richard Bailey
Gateley PLC
Ship Canal House
98 King Street
Manchester
M2 4WU

Dear Sir,
REQUEST FOR COMMUNITY STADIUM CONTRIBUTION PROPOSAL: Erection of warehouse unit (Bicon_cool.gif with associated access, service yard, parking, drainage infrastructure and landscaping
LOCATION: Plot 7A Newmarket Lane Stanley Wakefield WF3 4BU

I refer to the above application. After initial consideration of the application I would formally request that as part of the planning application you commit to making a proportionate contribution
towards the development of a new Community Stadium. Such a contribution should be included in a legal agreement made between yourself and the Council under the provisions of Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended).

The need for a new Community Stadium and your commitment towards providing such a stadium was made as part of the negotiations associated with Outline planning permission ref. 10/00225/OUT granted in December 2012 by the Secretary of State following Call-In and Examination through Public Inquiry. The need for the new Community Stadium remains and there
has not been any formal revocation of your previous commitment to provide for the development of the new Community Stadium through profits yielded from the development of the Newmarket site.

As the site is now being developed piecemeal through separate full planning applications, rather than under the auspices of Outline planning permission ref. 10/00225/OUT, it is considered to be
fair and reasonable for each development which comes forward to contribute proportionately to a fund for the delivery of the new Community Stadium. Although full details can be decided in due course I would suggest that a reasonable amount to contribute towards the development of the new community Stadium as part of planning application ref. 18/01169/FUL would be likely to be within the range of £650,000 to £700,000. This is based upon the following formula/ assumptions:
Formula: C = (T / F) * S
Where:
C = The amount of the contribution
T = Total Floor Area of Profit Making Element of Development Approved under 10/00225/OUT (171,000m2)
F = Floor Area Proposed under application 18/01169/FUL (6,000m2)
S = Approximate Build costs for the Community Stadium Approved under 10/00225/OUT (C. £19,000,000)

The ultimate amount of the contribution may vary depending upon the accuracy of the above assumptions.

I would ask you to respond to this letter by 21 September 2018 confirming whether you agree to the requested Community Stadium Contribution and to providing for the legal costs which would
be associated with the making of the requisite legal agreement under section 106 of the Act to enshrine the contribution as part of any planning permission which ensues from planning application ref. 18/01169/FUL.

I look forward to hearing from you but if you require further clarification, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely,
Michael Eaglestone
Major Projects Officer

Whilst I totally respect the number of people who have bothered to object to the latest planning application, I just cannot see their protestations making a blind bit of difference to the outcome of the application.

No I’m not a planning expert, but I would have thought the application is a stand-alone matter & nothing to do with gross injustices that has been allowed to happen over the years.

Yes the developer has taken the club & it’s supporters for a ride, let’s be fair without the fifteen thousand signatures they probably wouldn’t have got the outline planning permission. But that’s what developers do!

It’s the Council I have the most contempt for, they are supposed to be policing the whole process yet they’ve just lets things go through without a care, & that’s because they don’t care! Not about Wakefield Trinity that is.

All they care about is more jobs being created in the area & more business rates in their coffers.

I believe (in a nutshell) the council have renegade on it’s promise to stump up any cash for the stadium, therefore the whole stadium project has gone belly-up.

Good spot Droopy!

The above excerpt is massive - effectively putting YC on notice that WMDC will no longer allow them to duck around the obligation by submitting separate applications; and requiring them to sign up to a properly enforceable s106 agreement - exactly as Mr Box outlined some months ago.

What's less encouraging, is the funding formula - at that rate, the site could be filled with smaller developments, and there never be enough in the pot to build anything like what was promised.

Not any more!

I was thinking the same, whilst it is a step in the right direction, the amount of payable is a drop in the ocean.

On the other hand, this particular planning app is for a relatively small unit. I would like to know how much £££ the Newcold development would have generated using the funding formula!

I can't work out what Newcold would have contributed, because I can't recall the square footage, but my rough workings out suggest that if Mr Eaglestone's formula were applied to the whole site, it would yield £19.6 million - so as piffling as this small development is, it does look like the formula has been created in such a way as to properly fund the originally proposed stadium and facilities in full.

I won't get too excited though - it will be years before that happens, if at all.

Seen the letter Droopy and are on with it.

It a load of cobblers. Firstly they can’t even get the formula right. Using their formula we would get £545m, think that is unlikely and even if they don’t spot it think Yorkcourt will.

Using their approach is unlikely to produce the funding required in my lifetime and I know I’m an old sod but not that old.

We will be issuing an addendum to the objections in due course.

Another way to think about it...how much would a re-development of Belle Vue cost?

How are you working that out SC - one of us is doing our sums wrong, and it's very likely to be me!

I work it out the same as Sandal Cat! Sssshh, dont tell anyone!