Castleford Redevelopment Plans

[Damien]

Sounds good. I think Cas and Wakefield staying at their own grounds and redeveloping them is ultimately a better outcome for both clubs. It looks like Cas have seen what Wakefield are doing and thought it will be better for them too:

Castleford Tigers have revealed their in-depth proposals to redevelop their long-term home at Wheldon Road into a 'top-class Super League facility', turning it into an all-year-round venue which will generate an extra £1million per year.

The Tigers have long harboured ambitions to move to a newly-built stadium on the outskirts of the town, but have consistently faced issues with the Axiom site, just off Junction 32 of the M62. However, a recent £2million injection of cash from Wakefield Council to redevelop the Tigers' current stadium has moved the goalposts, and enabled the club to focus on the prospect of remaining at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle in an improved, redeveloped facility.

Tigers chief executive Mark Grattan says that while Axiom remains a possibility, the preference is now to redesign Wheldon Road. Plans estimated to cost between £8million and £10million will be funded in part by the grant from the Council, but also from the original developers at Axiom, who will invest a significant sum should that site's original purpose be changed to make it a warehousing and distribution facility.

That would then clear the path for the developers to instead invest in Wheldon Road. The club will reveal its plans in more detail in the coming weeks, but the hope is that if everything is approved this summer, it will take around 18 months to transform Castleford's spiritual home that could provide significant financial injection to the Super League club.

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/multi-million-redevelopment-plans-castlefords-22950529

[Spidey]

Not even an artist impression yet?  They are slipping....

[M j M]

Cas have been less screwed over than Wakey in the WMBC stadium sagas - I think this is a case of the enabling development never happening for various mostly economic reasons (rather than it happening but no stadium materialising in Wakey's case).

Staying at Wheldon Road, moreso than Belle Vue, always seemed by far the best option to me even if it's a bit hemmed in by the ground footprint in terms of pitch length. Taking Cas out of town struck me as a somewhat risky endeavour even if it's just a couple of miles away.

If, like Wakefield, it's going to get funded in part by the original developer then that's a very good result.

[Just Browny]

14 minutes ago, Damien said:

a recent £2million injection of cash from Wakefield Council to redevelop the Tigers' current stadium has moved the goalposts,

Even this is more progress than Cas or Wakey usually make.

[Eddie]

Great news, if Cas can average 8k in a shiny new stadium it will be great news for SL. 

[Damien]

21 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Great news, if Cas can average 8k in a shiny new stadium it will be great news for SL. 

To be fair Cas have pretty consistently averaged over 7k as it is and have averaged over 8k before. I'd imagine this development should increase capacity a little, and bigger derby crowds, which should hopefully see them getting closer to the 9-10k mark.

[sentoffagain2]

   This seems the best outcomes for both clubs.When i suggested a shared stadium it was against each club having to find sufficient funds and backing to build 2 new stadiums.The plans to update and modernise seem to be the way to go.

[Kirmonds pouch]

I have no doubt this scheme or similar will eventually happen, or at least I hope it will.

However it's nowhere near as straight forward as that story makes out.

There are a number of issues but the main two are as follows.

It has taken Trinity three years to get to this point and should everything go to plan it will be another year before completion. Cas have not even started yet or not in any real sense.

Far more important is impetus, do Cas have a plot 8 or 6 or 4? York Courts sudden about face didn't come from their innate decency as they have none. It happened because they found that they needed to have plot 8 repurposed much sooner than they thought and that gave Trinity and the new Council leaders the leverage they needed. Truth is YC probably intended to sit on that piece of land until Trinity went pop and nobody cared anymore.

Now I have no idea what Cas have to push the deal but even a half decent developers like Axion won't put the money up until they absolutely need too, why would they. Cas and the Council will need an enabling deal and that will mean Axiom having new tenants ready for whatever it is they have planned. Added to that there is no guarantee that Axiom will come up with a project that will see them willing to hand over 8.2 million, it may be more but most likely less. For various reasons plot 8 became very hot very quickly and in due course you will see why, whether the Glasshoughton plot has the same value to Axiom is yet to be seen.

It's very important to remember here that something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay. The enabling deal that has hopefully gotten Trinity the monies it needs is not compensation as such, there is no legal calculation that forces the developer to pay X,Y or Z. The amount will be totally down to what the developer feels they can afford to turn a profit and if it's to much they will just sit on the land until it is. Land is money in the bank to these people.

So again I honestly wish Cas all the best but it will be a bumpy ride for both clubs, I know it's a cliche but until the diggers are leaving and the lord mayor is cutting the ribbon then its not a done deal.

[Man of Kent]

Sounds good but lots of ifs and buts about the money.

[The Hallucinating Goose]

Just having a look on Google maps to see about potential for redevelopment at Wheldon Road and it certainly looks like it would be easy enough to expand and redevelop both the Main Stand and the Railway End. Seen as there is only the car park behind the Railway End as well it wouldn't be too difficult to push that stand back a bit and lengthen the pitch. 

[Damien]

1 minute ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

Just having a look on Google maps to see about potential for redevelopment at Wheldon Road and it certainly looks like it would be easy enough to expand and redevelop both the Main Stand and the Railway End. Seen as there is only the car park behind the Railway End as well it wouldn't be too difficult to push that stand back a bit and lengthen the pitch. 

I looked before and thought exactly the same. There is plenty of room there to expand the ground and make the pitch bigger if they wish.

[Kirmonds pouch]

2 minutes ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

Just having a look on Google maps to see about potential for redevelopment at Wheldon Road and it certainly looks like it would be easy enough to expand and redevelop both the Main Stand and the Railway End. Seen as there is only the car park behind the Railway End as well it wouldn't be too difficult to push that stand back a bit and lengthen the pitch. 

I could never really understand Cas obsession withe Glasshoughton tbh. Wheldon road has plenty of space for redevelopment, more than BV. Can't see any planning issues other than improved road access. For a start they don't need that training pitch, a total waste of money in an era when there are plenty of all year round pitches at reasonable rents.

[Cw25]

I will be glad. Sick of hearing people calling it. Sure the ground is why loads of people predict Wakefield to go down every year.

[Dallas Mead]

Jeez, just come back when there are “shovels in the ground” please.  These Wakefield and Castleford ground development stories are so, so boring year after year after year.  Dull.

[M j M]

1 minute ago, Dallas Mead said:

Jeez, just come back when there are “shovels in the ground” please.  These Wakefield and Castleford ground development stories are so, so boring year after year after year.  Dull.

That's the nature of ground redevelopments. The Saints, Warrington and Leeds redevelopments were multiple years-long or decades long sagas as well.

[Dallas Mead]

Just now, M j M said:

That's the nature of ground redevelopments. The Saints, Warrington and Leeds redevelopments were multiple years-long or decades long sagas as well.

Groundhog Day. Again. Times deja vu.

[Whippet13]

Good news hope it comes off, absolutely the right decision to stay on Weldon Road. My suggestion would be to lengthen the pitch as stated above plus move it maybe 5-10m to the right as viewed from above if possible, which would enable modernisation of the terracing opposite the main stand at some future point.  

[hunsletgreenandgold]

A positive step but as others are suggesting, a lot needs to happen before this even gets to fancy watercolour design stage, never mind demo/construction. 2026 is the earliest we'll see this completed is my guess. 

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

1 hour ago, Kirmonds pouch said:

I have no doubt this scheme or similar will eventually happen, or at least I hope it will.

However it's nowhere near as straight forward as that story makes out.

There are a number of issues but the main two are as follows.

It has taken Trinity three years to get to this point and should everything go to plan it will be another year before completion. Cas have not even started yet or not in any real sense.

Far more important is impetus, do Cas have a plot 8 or 6 or 4? York Courts sudden about face didn't come from their innate decency as they have none. It happened because they found that they needed to have plot 8 repurposed much sooner than they thought and that gave Trinity and the new Council leaders the leverage they needed. Truth is YC probably intended to sit on that piece of land until Trinity went pop and nobody cared anymore.

Now I have no idea what Cas have to push the deal but even a half decent developers like Axion won't put the money up until they absolutely need too, why would they. Cas and the Council will need an enabling deal and that will mean Axiom having new tenants ready for whatever it is they have planned. Added to that there is no guarantee that Axiom will come up with a project that will see them willing to hand over 8.2 million, it may be more but most likely less. For various reasons plot 8 became very hot very quickly and in due course you will see why, whether the Glasshoughton plot has the same value to Axiom is yet to be seen.

It's very important to remember here that something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay. The enabling deal that has hopefully gotten Trinity the monies it needs is not compensation as such, there is no legal calculation that forces the developer to pay X,Y or Z. The amount will be totally down to what the developer feels they can afford to turn a profit and if it's to much they will just sit on the land until it is. Land is money in the bank to these people.

So again I honestly wish Cas all the best but it will be a bumpy ride for both clubs, I know it's a cliche but until the diggers are leaving and the lord mayor is cutting the ribbon then its not a done deal.

Or in this case a £15m blackhole if their previous statements are to be believed

[devonhawk]

Castleford have been getting a new ground or modernising the Mend a Hole since Framing the Future was published in 1994. Will believe it when it happens, but forgive me if I am sceptical after nearly 30 years of the same old lines.

[Kirmonds pouch]

15 minutes ago, Dallas Mead said:

Groundhog Day. Again. Times deja vu.

Grow up.

[David Shepherd]

27 minutes ago, devonhawk said:

Castleford have been getting a new ground or modernising the Mend a Hole since Framing the Future was published in 1994. Will believe it when it happens, but forgive me if I am sceptical after nearly 30 years of the same old lines.

Way before that. They were talking about building on the old Glasshoughton pit in the 80s

[Scubby]

35 minutes ago, hunsletgreenandgold said:

A positive step but as others are suggesting, a lot needs to happen before this even gets to fancy watercolour design stage, never mind demo/construction. 2026 is the earliest we'll see this completed is my guess. 

Speak for yourself, I am looking forward to the watercolour.

[Dallas Mead]

36 minutes ago, Kirmonds pouch said:

Grow up.

Forgive me, but the first 20 years of the castleford new stadium talk was fine, after that it got very old very quickly.  Show me the shovels

[dkw]

1 hour ago, Dallas Mead said:

Jeez, just come back when there are “shovels in the ground” please.  These Wakefield and Castleford ground development stories are so, so boring year after year after year.  Dull.

And yet here you are in the thread....