£20m PPG Canalside plans unveiled to public
Fans are now invited to give their feedback before the scheme is submitted to Kirklees Council. Work is expected to be completed in stages.
The plans will mean that bowling and other public facilities at PPG Canalside will be moved elsewhere.
The club is currently working on a proposal to improve facilities at the nearby Leeds Road Sports Complex so that the current bowling club at Canalside can move. Plans will be revealed shortly.
And the popular PPG Canalside Fanzone will also close and could be based elsewhere, although nothing has been finalised.
Huddersfield Town’s chief executive Julian Winter said: “We’re delighted that, after some very hard work from several parties, we’ve reached the stage to be able to reveal our provisional plans for PPG Canalside to our supporters.
“It’s been fantastic to see the response to the initial announcement and to hear directly from fans in the early stages of our consultation process. It’s clear that they all understand how important these plans are to the long-term, sustainable success of their football club.”
He added: “This represents a very significant investment from the chairman and the football club in turning PPG Canalside into an elite sports environment. We’re a club that prides itself on developing players and this stage-of-the-art training complex will be a huge asset to the technical staff in that goal.”
Mr Winter said the club remained committed to providing great facilities for fans.
“We’re also a club that prides itself on being at the heart of its community, and we’re equally committed to continuing to provide great facilities for the fans and wider people of Kirklees to use.
“As such, we’re planning to switch the existing public-facing element of PPG Canalside to brand new, dedicated facilities that we are funding and planning alongside Kirklees Council and Kirklees Active Leisure at a new-look Leeds Road Sports Complex, which I hope we can share in the near-term.”
Fans who attended yesterday’s public exhibition gave the Examiner their views on the proposals.
Peter Briggs, of Deighton, who is a Town fan and a member of the bowling club, said: “If it comes off, they will be building us something down at the playing fields which would be ideal.”
He said the new training facility “looks fabulous” although he said it would be “strange” when bowlers and others moved elsewhere.
“If it encourages better football players to come and keeps us in the Premiership I won’t grumble.”
David Wood, a former secretary of the Huddersfield Town Supporters’ Club, said: “It looks very impressive indeed. I suppose the thinking is to bring Huddersfield Town up to and maybe above the current facilities at Premier League clubs.”
Fan Stuart Barrowclough, who is a PPG Canalside member, said: “The plans look good but some fans are not going to be happy when you tell them they will be moving and they are not having fans here.
“On match days here it is full of blue and white. It’s family and team spirit and we will be losing some of that.
“On the plus side this is needed when you are in the Premier League.”
Fan Chris Green added: “This facility takes us to the next level. We are an ever-advancing football club.”
If you couldn’t make it to the public consultation, you are still invited to give your feedback on the proposals. Please email ppg@htafc.com before 5pm on Monday, September 17.