Castleford’s wait for a stadium could finally be coming to an end
Castleford could be moving in to their long-awaited new stadium ahead of the 2022 season.
In a statement last Friday, the Lateral Property Group provided an update on the so-called AXIOM development at Glasshoughton, which includes a new community stadium for the Tigers.
It said: “Delivery of the stadium is obviously the key consideration for Tigers fans. As you know the stadium is funded by the enabling retail and leisure developments associated with Axiom.
“More than £30million has now been spent on the project including freehold acquisition of the land, on enabling utility diversion works and on funding a team of over 100 development professionals and consultants over a six-year period.
“We are making excellent progress, but we do have frustrations on project delays which are primarily caused by uncertainty surrounding Brexit. Whilst we have made representations to 10 Downing Street as the single most important socio-economic regeneration project in the region, the politics around Brexit are completely outside of our control and we can only wait to see what happens over the coming months.
“Be assured we are doing all we possibly can to start on site at the earliest opportunity.
“Our target, allowing for expected political and financial uncertainty over the next two to three months, is to start on site in late summer, with Stadium delivery and development opening in early 2022.”
They are expecting to get planning approval from Wakefield Council at a planning committee meeting on Thursday.
It is now more than a decade since Castleford first received planning permission for a new stadium.
In 2009, they were granted planning permission for a stadium on the site of an old colliery with the aim of moving in for the 2010 season, but the project was abandoned as no money could be found to fund the project.
This came after the RFL threatened five Super League clubs – Castleford, Celtic Crusaders, Salford, St Helens and Wakefield – that they risked losing their licences if they didn’t move forward with new stadium plans.
St Helens would move to their new Langtree Park stadium home in 2012, the same year Salford moved in to the new AJ Bell Stadium, while Crusaders ceased to exist at the end of the 2011 season.
Ahead of the Super League licensing announcement for 2012, Castleford once again received planning consent for a 13,300-capacity venue at Glasshoughton, with the view to playing there from 2013.
Once again, the difficult financial climate and lack of funds meant the stadium had to be put on hold, but it returned to the agenda in 2015 as part of a new retail park development..
At this time, development was expected to begin in 2016 with the view to the Tigers moving in ahead of the 2019 season.
But the discovery of archaeological remains during the initial excavation of the site meant further delays to preparation work on the development, just off the M62.
The £135m development is now expected to result in a 10,245 capacity stadium.
Castleford have played at their current home at Wheldon Road since 1927.