IT COULD be game on for a new multi-million pound community stadium in Warwick.
The proposal to construct the stadium on land adjacent to Fusiliers Way has been a long-held ambition of Warwick District Council.
WDC purchased the land in late 2018 with the express purpose of constructing the community stadium along with some “enabling development” to assist with covering the cost of the scheme.
A procurement exercise was conducted in 2021 to seek a development partner but only one bid was received and was considered over budget and so the procurement exercise was terminated.
A report in 2022 set out that officers would reflect and bring forward a revised proposal to implement the community stadium.
Since then the project has stalled but members of WDC’s Cabinet are set to discuss refreshed plans at a meeting on September 3.
A new masterplan has been drawn up for a community stadium which could accommodate up to 4,000 people.
Costing in the region of £13 million, it has been designed to be a community hub, providing convenient access to sporting events, sports facilities, education, recreation and social facilities, business opportunities and community programmes.
The new stadium would have a two-level main stand with sports bar, cafe, function room, meeting rooms, conferencing, dance studio and additional community and education space. It would have 1,000 seats with three sides of spectator terracing.
There is potential for it to have an additional level containing offices.
Projected figures suggest 50,000 people would use the stadium each year.
There are also plans afoot for Leamington Football Club to move from their home in Harbury Lane to the new stadium.
They would pay a peppercorn rent to WDC, freeing up their old ground, which the council has earmarked as a potential new gypsy and traveller site.
Two old and abandoned cottages on the Fusiliers Way site would need to be demolished and 85 new homes would be built to the north of the stadium to help finance the scheme.
It is estimated the stadium would take two years to build with a completion date likely to be between 2029 and 2031.
