Huddersfield Giants suffer huge blow on stadium plans as council weigh in

Huddersfield Giants have been handed a major blow in their hopes of building a new stadium, ahead of their planned exit from the John Smith’s Stadium. 

The Giants currently share the ground with football club Huddersfield Town, but from the end of this season will move out into their own stadium. While the new ground is being constructed, Huddersfield will play their games at the Shay in Halifax.

Huddersfield Giants suffer stadium blow

It was hoped the new stadium would be built on the site of the old Huddersfield Gasworks, near the John Smith’s Stadium, with Yorkshire Live reporting that over 2,500 fans had signed a petition calling on Kirklees Council to allow construction to go ahead; but now it seems these hopes have taken a crucial hammer blow.

“While the council does not own the site available for development on Gasworks Street, this site sits right at the centre of the council’s Station to Stadium Enterprise Corridor, which for Kirklees is the focus of the government’s West Yorkshire Investment Zone – one of only eight up and down the country – where, alongside other local authorities, we’re receiving a fantastic funding injection to support one of our fastest-growing local industries,” a spokesperson told Yorkshire Live. 

“This money’s all about boosting business innovation, productivity and growth, and supporting the commercialisation of health and wellbeing research. The university’s brand new National Health Innovation Campus has played a key part in us receiving this funding, and in how we allocate it – this development will further put Huddersfield, and wider Kirklees, on the map in terms of health and wellbeing innovation.

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“We’ve worked collaboratively with both the university and West Yorkshire Combined Authority to secure this funding, and we’re continuing to work closely together on plans that should act as a springboard for local businesses, create many new jobs and business growth opportunities, and encourage more people not just looking to study here but to base their careers here long-term.

“The site at Gasworks Street is perfectly placed for investment by a business who could really capitalise on this crucial connection. On this basis, the land is a crucial component of the Station to Stadium Enterprise Corridor. At present, the site isn’t allocated for development for sports and leisure.

“In the meantime, any application put forward to develop a brand new stadium – at Gasworks Street or any other location – would need to follow our usual planning process, and we would consider these plans in detail at the point an application was submitted.”

This also comes after Huddersfield hosted their round 14 clash against Wigan Warriors at Dewsbury Rams’ Flair Stadium, with the John Smith’s hosting a Stereophonics concert on the same day.

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