THE leader of the council behind Leamington’s new stadium says he is ‘keen’ to turn the dream into reality.
Council officers recently presented to fans of the Step 3 promotion chasers plans for a community stadium at the heart of a wider masterplan that includes a separate athletics track, housing and business space.
Warwick District Council is proposing a 4,000-capacity ground, including a three-storey building that houses the main stand, which will be run autonomously by the club through a 150- year lease at a peppercorn rent.
It is much more centrally located than the club’s current base at The New Windmill, land that the council would like to use as a gypsy traveller site if plans comes together.
Leading councillors are scheduled to consider an initial report in June with a public consultation set to take place in August before the biggest hurdle at the back end of the calendar year – nailing down financial commitments.
There are various other stages to go through before a tentative target date of starting building work in early 2027 in order to open in July 2028.
Councillor Ian Davison, the leader of the Green Party-Labour coalition that took charge of the district council in May 2023, confirmed in-principle support for a project that has been in the pipeline for some years.
Despite acknowledging a number of potential hurdles, he said: “I am confident something can come together.
“Politics is full of competing priorities, if the council spends a few million on this then that is a few million less on something else.
“There are bits in there that we want to have, they may not all happen but I am sure something will happen. I am very keen that we don’t just leave it as a possibility for decades, that would be the worst outcome.
“It will be a challenge, how much money and political will there is not only from us but other stakeholders is among those. It is complex but we are looking for a way forward.”
