Featherstone tests Sport Village feasibility

Featherstone Rovers have today entered into an agreement with an International Development Partner to complete a comprehensive Feasibility Study of their plans to build a new sports village and retail park on and around its Post Office Road home.

The multi-million pound proposal includes a new purpose-built stadium, with up to a 12,000 capacity, community-based sports and leisure facilities and comprehensive retail outlets.

The club have been working with its joint venture partners on the ambitious project for the past four months and yesterday was the first day of the 12-week feasibility study, to discover whether the scheme is achievable, financially and commercially viable.

Chief Executive Andy Prout stated "This is another major milestone for this club, which will help to sustain our long term future and realise many of our ambitions.

"This project will enable us to meet our vision, which is to have a stadium that people are proud to visit, that players are proud to play at and be a critical success factor in us playing the highest quality of rugby league at Post Office Road. If we can complete the development as planned we will have a truly 21st Century compliant. "We are planning to create a real Community Sports and Leisure complex, involving some retail, and a 12-week feasibility study will get us to the stage where, hopefully, a developer will offer us a contract for the construction of a new stadium, which should take between 18 months and two years.

"The study will see consultants approach all relevant parties, including planning and highways etc., and also potential retail clients, to get a proposal in place and find out after 12 weeks whether we will get the green light or not."This is all about providing a community sports facility for the people of Featherstone and the Wakefield district, and access to sporting facilities which are currently unavailable. We will also work with our close Football, Cricket and Bowls clubs neighbours, and also enhancing and increasing the educational suites and facilities.

"We have already made representation into the WMDC Local Development Framework process to work with the representatives from the Council to exploit the full 17 acres available to us, some of which is still classified as Green belt land, which we will have to overcome if we are to achieve the full extent of the project, and more importantly the ongoing regeneration of the Featherstone area.