Plans approved for Headingley Stadium revamp

Yorkshire County Cricket Club and Leeds Rhinos have thanked local councillors after plans to secure Headingley's long-term future as a Test-match venue moved a step closer. Proposals for a £38million ground redevelopment had been delayed due to complex planning matters'', which Yorkshire chief executive Mark Arthur warned could see the county lose international cricket for four years and see it excluded from the 2019 World Cup in England. However, Leeds City Council's planning committee approved a recommendation to defer and delegate the detail of the decision to planning officers, a move welcomed by both Yorkshire and Leeds Rhinos, who share the ground. Yorkshire's existing staging agreement with the England and Wales Cricket Board guarantees one Test a year up to 2019, when they will host an Ashes match for the first time since 2009, and Arthur says new and improved facilities are key to their hopes of winning a favourable allocation when the 2020-2024 England fixtures are awarded next year. "We remain confident that we can deliver the re-development for the stadium and look forward to working with partners to make this possible and retain our status in international cricket,'' Arthur said. Re-development plans include a replacement North Stand, which is 90-year-old and backs on to both the cricket and rugby grounds, and a new South Stand to include seats. The Rhinos' hopes of funding the project through the proposed sale of two sites for housing development in Weetwood and Tingley were hit by objections, but chief executive Gary Hetherington is confident the hurdle can be overcome. "We would like to thank Leeds City Council for their efforts during this planning application process,'' Hetherington said. "This was another crucial step for us. We believe a funding mechanism can be found to realise the vision for the stadium.'' With work originally due to start in January, capacity at the rugby stadium was set to drop from 20,000 to 13,500 for the 2017 Super League season, but the South Stand will now be open for business when the campaign begins in February.

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