Truro sell up and move in with Parkway for 2021/22

PLYMOUTH Parkway will welcome Truro City to Bolitho Park next season, with the Southern League Premier club ‘moving in’ for the 2021/22 season while their new stadium is built.

It was announced yesterday that the White Tigers have sold their ground to Jojo Investco Limited and a new Lidl supermarket will be built on the site.

As part of the formal planning agreement, the german supermarket chain will contribute £2.1 million towards the Stadium for Cornwall plans and the club itself will receive £600,000 from Lidl so that they can temporarily relocate and continue training while the new stadium is constructed.

Parkway will benefit from that as their ground does not currently fit the criteria for Southern

League football and work will begin imminently to bring the ground up to scratch.

“New ground grading requirements are required at Bolitho Park in order for this partnership to be viable for both clubs,” a statement from Parkway read. “To comply with these new ground grading requirements for Truro City to play at Bolitho Park, work will need to commence in the next few weeks with three sides of Bolitho Park being aligned with a covered standing area and also a covered seating area for 250 people.

“Other work will also need to be done around the ground to bring Bolitho Park up to a Grade C ground to comply with Southern League ground grading.

“When the 2020/21 season ends, Parkway will also need to carry out extensive work to pitch maintenance which will include a new drainage system and the digging up of the top layer of the pitch and replacing with new playing surface.

“Plymouth Parkway FC are working with Truro City to make sure the above works are carried out and ready for the start of 2021/22 season in August.”

The 10,000-seat Stadium for Cornwall is due to be constructed in Truro, although it has been suggested plans could now be scaled down due to financial pressures.

It is nine years since planning permission was granted for the stadium which is expected to eventually provide a home for the Cornish Pirates rugby club as well as and Truro City.

However, it is believed that a new planning application could be submitted for the stadium which could see the first phase of the project being scaled back. It has been suggested that the first phase capacity could now be reduced to 3,000 or 4,000 instead.