PROJECT AXED DUE TO LACK OF CASH
PLANS for a new £70m football facility in Cheshire, including a stadium to be used by Non-League clubs, have been abandoned.
Those working on the proposal, predicted by them to become world renowned when it was unveiled in 2018, say they can’t raise enough money to make it work.
“The wider economic conditions and an inability to secure significant third-party funding have meant we’re not able to make the project work,” said Terry Harrop, chairman of Cheshire Football Centre.
The initial idea was to redevelop a former golf course at the Knights Grange outdoor sports complex in Winsford and build a 3,000-capacity ground at its centre. A luxury hotel, multiple 3G pitches – one of them indoor – and a medical centre were also proposed.
But The NLP has learned that a rise in interest rates attached to a commercial loan increased the projected costs to a figure that was deemed too risky to proceed.
1874 Northwich, who play in the NPL West division, were positioned to become long-term tenants, training on nearby pitches and hosting opponents at the 1,000-seat stadium.
But, frustrated by a lack of progress, they extended a ground-share arrangement with Barnton until the end of the 202627 season.
Winsford United, based little more than a mile away from Knights Grange at Barton Stadium, also discussed the possibility of moving across town.
Blues lease their current home from the town council, and a new committee formed following a change of ownership at the North West Counties League outfit in February will now focus on the future there.
Neither club is entitled to compensation and now the plans have been shelved.
That said, Cheshire West and Chester Council, which owns land earmarked for the multimillion-pound centre, has committed to improving provision there for grassroots and junior footballers.
Cllr Nathan Pardoe, a council cabinet member for regeneration, said: “Knights Grange is already a fantastic asset for the people of Winsford, but the council recognises it needs investment and that the community needs certainty now about its future.”