Michael Carter, the Wakefield chairman, has offered to step down from the club’s stadium trust to enable plans for a new stadium.
Following further discussions regarding the proposed new stadium, Carter claims that a new stadium trust has been set up without him behind his back, but went on to say the new trust is close to landing the stadium on the basis Wakefield commit to being anchor tenants.
Carter claims Sir Rodney Walker, the head of the stadium trust, has stated that the previous trust could not deliver the new stadium because he cannot work with Carter and Chris Brereton.
As a result, Carter has proposed that he and Chris will stand down from the trust on the basis the new community stadium agreement can be reached within next month and the stadium is opened by 2019.
“Now, in the last 24 hours, we find that Walker has formed a new trust, and is very close to delivering the new stadium, IF Wakefield Trinity commits to being anchor tenants in it. However, in his opinion, the existing Trust cannot deliver it, because Yorkcourt Properties and Walker cannot work with some members of the existing trust. To be very clear, Walker is talking about myself and Chris.
“Now Walker also claims that for the new Stadium to go ahead, Wakefield Trinity would have to commit to being anchor tenants. How this will be achieved is anyone’s guess, as in one breath he says that he cannot work with us, and yet needs us to be anchor tenants.”
He continued: “If a binding agreement is put in place with the existing trust, Council, and the developer that sees a new fit for purpose 10000 capacity stadium operational by the start of 2019 season, which the Club operates and controls to maximise revenue streams, myself and Chris will immediately stand down from the existing Stadium Trust.
This will ensure that Walker/Yorkcourt do not have to deal with us on any level, thus removing their one last obstacle to this Community Stadium being built and delivered. For the avoidance of any doubt, we do not wish to own outright the Community Stadium.
“This must happen within the next month. If it did happen, then the Club would enter negotiations with the 88M property group to stay at Belle Vue for one last season subject to RFL approval. In our opinion the Developer at Newmarket would still be receiving a substantial gain at the end of all this.”
