Finances for the plans will come from a combination of public and private funding, including Yorkshire County Cricket Club and rugby league team Leeds Rhinos. Leeds Rhinos will provide the majority of the remaining investment through the proposed sale of two sites for housing development located off Weetwood Avenue, Weetwood, and off Old Thorpe Lane, Bradford Road, Tingley. The net receipts from the sale of these sites will be 100% invested into the improvements at Headingley.
The proposals will create an increased capacity cricket stadium that will offer the highest standards of playing, practice and training facilities, good-quality seating and corporate facilities, state-of-the-art technology and media facilities, and attractive spaces around the stadium to improve integration with the surrounding Headingley neighborhood.
For the rugby stadium, the proposals will provide a replacement North and South Stand with enhanced facilities for players, fans and visitors. The new South Stand will also replace some of the rugby capacity lost by the development of the joint stand between the rugby and cricket clubs, and for the first time will include an element of seating within the stand – however the standing capacity will still exceed the current levels in the South Stand.
As part of the proposals, the two clubs are embarking on a consultation process which will shape and inform the final planning application. The public are invited to attend a series of exhibitions to view plans for Headingley Stadium, Weetwood and Tingley, and will have the opportunity to discuss the plans with members of the design team and provide feedback.
January 29, 2016
