Extra £4.5m funding for larger stadium rebuild

3 hours ago

Federica BedendoNorth East and Cumbria

News image — Initial plans submitted last year were for a 3,700 capacity stadium in Workington

Cumberland Council A CGI image of what the new Cumberland Sports Village stadium would look like from the air. The grass pitch has a large stand along the far touchline which runs roughly penalty area to penalty area. At the far end and along the near touchline are smaller stands. A road runs behind the large stand, with the rest of the stadium surrounded by trees and green space. — Initial plans submitted last year were for a 3,700 capacity stadium in Workington

An extra £4.5m has been set aside to increase the size of a planned football and rugby stadium.

Borough Park in Workington is set to be knocked down and replaced by the Cumberland Sports Village, which would become home to both Workington football club and Workington Town rugby club.

Initial plans were for a 3,700 capacity stadium - 2,700 seated and 1,000 standing - but the recently formed Cumbria Combined Authority has announced the extra cash to deliver a 5,000-capacity facility.

Labour-led Cumberland Council, which spearheaded the project, said new timelines for construction were being worked on and a planning application was due to be discussed in May.

"As well as sport, the stadium will also act as a focal point for both the community and businesses within the area," council leader Mark Fryer said.

"An improved hospitality offer means the stadium will also be used for meetings, conferences, functions, events and community activities."

Plans to develop a new stadium have been in the works for several years and were scaled back from an initial design for 8,000 fans.

After the now-defunct Allerdale Borough Council dropped the project, the region missed out on hosting a Rugby League World Cup match because it did not have a suitable stadium.

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