Sports village plan for new stadium site (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Wycombe sports village plan for new stadium site

4:00pm Wednesday 17th March 2010 in Romsey By Oliver Evans

Sports village plan for new stadium site

A ‘SPORTS village’ will be built alongside a new stadium for Wycombe Wanderers and London Wasps, council chiefs said today as they reveal details of their long-awaited plans for the future of the clubs.

It was also revealed Wycombe District Council will put a further £250,000 into the project – taking its total maximum commitment to £750,000.

A statement from WDC and the clubs said the development would include ‘training and academy facilities, health & fitness facilities and a wide range of publicly accessible sports, leisure and lifestyle uses’.

The statement says: “A key objective is to enable the development to be a commercially successful and attractive location throughout the year and not just on match days.”

The scheme is mooted for Wycombe Air Park – but the statement said: “There is no preferred site at this stage.”

Land at Abbey Barn, in the Daws Hill area of High Wycombe, is being considered it adds.

A press conference was due to be held at 2.30pm with council bosses and Steve Hayes, who owns the clubs. We will bring you our report from the press conference this afternoon.

Council leader Lesley Clarke said today: “We believe that it is right to invest in them and in our community.”

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The WDC document says land at the chosen site could be sold for housing or commercial uses, a move needed under planning law to allow the stadium development to go ahead.

This raises the prospect of housing at the Clay Lane airpark, which is in the Green Belt and is owned by the council.

If WDC land is used then the council would own the stadium and lease it to the clubs. It would sell land at the chosen site to finance the construction of the stadium.

It says the clubs’ home at Adams Park is ‘constrained’.

The council is entering into a process to change its planning strategy to allow the development to go ahead, a move that would need approval from an independent inspector.

The clubs and council have said they will agree whether to go ahead with the plan by ext July 2011. A ‘comprehensive public consultation’ is promised.

The Bucks Free Press has already reported that the council has put aside £500,000 for studies into the viability of the plan – a move that has angered some who feel WDC should not be supporting a private enterprise.

Today the council said it is committing another £250,000 to cover ‘feasibility costs’. Mr Hayes is putting in another £250,000.

The authority said there would be ‘no direct impact on the council tax’.

Lesley Clarke, leader of WDC, said: “Wycombe Wanderers and Wasps are fantastic assets for Wycombe – they contribute a huge amount to the community and to the success of our town and the district.

“We believe that it is right to invest in them and in our community through this site search project. This is about taking an important and sensible step to see how aspirations for a new stadium and community sports facilities can be delivered.”

Mr Hayes said: “Wycombe Wanderers and Wasps are outstanding clubs and we want to give them every chance of success.

“That means developing what we do both on and off the pitch, improving the infrastructure at the clubs and building a sustainable future in Wycombe.

“That’s good for the clubs, good for the fans, and good for Wycombe.

“This study will help us to understand what’s possible.

“Once we know that, we can build towards our vision for the successful future of these clubs in this town, expanding our outreach work and really making a difference for the community we serve.”

Click the links below for today’s announcements and our stories on the plans.