Wakefield Trinity Stadium
Timeline of activity to April 2017
1
Date Activity
April 2009 In preparing the Local Development Framework for Wakefield, the Council
produced a Core Strategy that identified the need to find an additional 95
hectares of land for B8 warehousing and storage uses. The Core Strategy
underwent public examination and was found to be “sound” by an Inspector
appointed by the Secretary of State. It was adopted as policy by the Council
in April 2009.
July 2009 Wakefield Council offered Wakefield and District Community Trust £2m
funding to support the development of new stadiums on the condition they
could deliver the following to Wakefield District Community Trust subject to all legal requirements
being fulfilled. The approval of the transfer at, an undervalue, was agreed by
the Secretary of State and subject to the agreement of terms.
The purpose was to allow in the first instance borrowing against the site to
allow the stadium scheme to commence. The borrowing would be capped at a
maximum of £2million. Cabinet in December 2010 agreed to extend the
current offer of land up to a value of £2 million to the Wakefield and District
Community Trust (Wakefield Wildcats) value subject to the conditions to July
2011.
The offer naturally expired in July 2011 and was not renewed
During and since this time Wakefield Wildcats have been in administration
and has been sold twice.
February
2010
Outline planning application submitted by Yorkcourt Properties for mixed use
development at Newmarket Lane, including the community stadium, business
units, Storage & Distribution units, multi-use games areas, a hotel, a food unit
and associated roads and infrastructure.
March
2010
The Council agreed a loan guarantee with the Co-op Bank on 25 March 2010
for a loan taken out by the Trust for £150k for design fees for a community
stadium
October
2010
Planning & Highways Committee resolution to approve the development at
Newmarket Lane, subject to call-in by the government.
December
2010
As no proposals had been received by Wakefield Trinity, Wakefield Council
extends its £2m funding offer to July 2011.
Wakefield Trinity Stadium
Timeline of activity to April 2017
2
March
2011
The bank called upon the Council (as guarantor) to repay the loan in full.
July 2011 The £2m funding offer expired and was not renewed as the Trust did not
meet the conditions, nor did they ask for a further extension.
December
2011 -
The Secretary of State’s Public inquiry held into the Newmarket Lane
development.
September
2012
Local Development Framework development sites document was adopted by
the Council following a process to identify development sites to meet
additional need for warehousing and storage uses identified in the Core
Strategy. The Newmarket site being one of the sites. The Newmarket site and
other development sites were subject to an examination in public and
subsequently found to be “sound” by the inspector and incorporated into the
adopted Sites Allocations Document.
December
2012
Secretary of State decision made on Newmarket site.
This permission was approved by the Secretary of State following a 3 week
call in Inquiry. That permission was accompanied by a Section 106 Unilateral
Undertaking.
The Council were not party to that Unilateral Undertaking which was signed
by Yorkcourt and two other landowners, and set out their intention to let the
Stadium construction contract, provided the finance for the stadium was
available and once 60,000 sq. m of B8 warehousing had been built. A
planning condition was also attached to the Consent issued by the Secretary
of States that states:
“No more than 60,000m2
of the B8 development shall be occupied unless and
until the stadium is completed to its design capacity of 12,000 so as to be
capable of staging a Rugby Super League match attended by the public and
the stadium and its ancillary elements have received all necessary safety and
other certificates to allow it to be used for that purpose.”
The Unilateral Undertaking states that the Wakefield and District Community
Trust are responsible for acting as ‘facilitator’.
A copy of the Unilateral Undertaking can be found here:
cominoweb.wakefield.gov.uk/Plann ... =lg.Planni
ng&org.apache.shale.dialog.DIALOG_NAME=gfplanningsearch&SDescriptio
n=10/00225/OUT&viewdocs=true (Second document).
July 2013 Newcold planning application submitted.
A separate planning application was submitted by Yorkcourt Properties and
Newcold Ltd for a cold food distribution warehouse within the Newmarket site.
Wakefield Trinity Stadium
Timeline of activity to April 2017
3
This was submitted as a separate full planning application and was not linked
to the stadium development proposal that was given consent by the
Secretary of State.
The developer submitted a separate full planning application due to the
proposed size of the Newcold building which did not fall within the parameters
of the approved outline consent issued by the Secretary of State. The
decision to put in a new application was that of the developers not the
council, and the Council as the planning authority were duty bound to
consider a valid application as was the case.
Yorkcourt did not provide a Section 106 Agreement to link the Newcold
development with the funding of a community stadium. This was not required
as the site was allocated for employment uses within the Local Plan. This
was communicated to the Trust at a meeting with the Chief Executive and
Corporate Director for Regeneration and Economic Growth from Wakefield
Council at that time.
In line with the Council’s Statement of Community Involvement and statutory
regulations, there were two separate 21-day periods of public consultation
relating to the Newcold development. No objections to the Newcold planning
application from the Trust were received.
The development of the Newcold building does not prevent the 60,000 sq m
threshold of B8 development being met on the remainder of the site.
The Unilateral Undertaking offered by Yorkcourt and approved by the
Secretary of State, did not prohibit or limit any further planning applications or
development on the site.
The development of the stadium therefore can still be implemented
irrespective of the existence of the Newcold development.
October
2013
Newcold decision issued.
The Planning & Highways Committee made the decision to approve the
Newcold planning application.
The Committee Report on the Newcold proposal made clear, on page 11,
that the application was submitted as a standalone application and was not
covered by the outline planning consent for the stadium development or
planning conditions.
The report is available here.
cominoweb.wakefield.gov.uk/Plann ... =lg.Planni
ng&org.apache.shale.dialog.DIALOG_NAME=gfplanningsearch&SDescriptio
n=13/02001/FUL&viewdocs=true (First document).
Wakefield Trinity Stadium
Timeline of activity to April 2017
4
2015 Newcold development is completed. This includes the installation of a road
infrastructure that will provide essential access to the proposed location of a
new stadium.
The development created approximately 154 full time jobs in the district.
2013-17 Wakefield Council continues to meet with Wakefield Trinity, the Trust and
Yorkcourt to facilitate the progression of a new community stadium.
As part of ongoing work, the Council actively promotes the site to investors
coming into the district.
