Boost for Castleford stadium plans

Castleford’s dream of moving into a new stadium took a major step towards realisation on Friday.

Yvette Cooper, MP for Pontefract and Castleford, confirmed that the government had decided not to call in the planning application for a major redevelopment in the region which includes a 10,000-capacity new home for the Tigers.

On her Twitter account, Cooper announced: “Brilliant, brilliant news - we’ve been given the go ahead for the new @CTRLFC stadium!! Thankyou to everyone who joined the campaign.”

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Wakefield Council approved the original planning application for the £135million Five Towns Park just off junction 32 of the M62 in February but because of the size of the scheme it was referred to the Department for Communities and Local Government.

However, the government announced on Friday that it does not need to assess the application, preferring to leave the decision to the local authority.

Castleford chief executive Steve Gill told the Pontefract and Castleford Express: “We are still waiting for this to be 100 per cent confirmed at our end but this is massive news not just for the club but for the town.

“It means we can take the club forward and it means we won’t be scraping around every year for money.

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“But for me, it’s about more than the stadium. It means so much to the Cas people. It’s going to bring 2,000 jobs and that is something we, as a town, massively need.

“It’s great news for the Tigers’ fans as well. Our dream has finally come to fruition and I would like to thank everybody who has helped us along the way.”