Proposals to upgrade the Castleford Tigers stadium and build a new employment and logistics development at Axiom J32 – PLANNING COMMITTEE MEETING, 15 FEBRUARY
Planning applications which will see around 2,200 local jobs created at the Axiom J32 site and a £12.2 million investment into Castleford Tigers’ stadium, will be decided by Wakefield Council’s Planning & Highways Committee on Thursday 15 February.
Axiom Yorkshire and Castleford Tigers RLFC have worked together on plans for major upgrades of the Wheldon Road stadium, which would be funded by a new Employment and Logistics development on the Axiom J32 site, north east of the M62 at Junction 32.
Two separate planning applications are currently awaiting a decision from Wakefield Council. If both planning applications are approved it will provide a £12.2 million investment into Wheldon Road. This will be supplemented by £2 million from Wakefield Council’s Rugby League Resilience Fund. This mirrors the funding arrangements for the ongoing improvements to Wakefield Trinity’s Belle Vue stadium.
Together the two planning applications will provide:
A £12.2 million contribution to major upgrades to the Wheldon Road stadium, offering modern accessible facilities for supporters
Circa 141,085 sq m of employment and logistics development at Junction 32,
Around 2,200 new full time jobs for local people – 1,830 jobs at Junction 32 and a further 365 estimated within the Wakefield Council area
Approx. 1,500 new construction roles per year during the works
Around £15 million of private sector investment into highways improvements at the Junction 32 roundabout
You can find more information about the submitted plans on this website.
The Axiom Site
Maps Data: Google , ©2022 CNES / Airbus, Getmapping plc, Infoterra Ltd & Bluesky, Maxar TechnologiesThe Axiom J32 site is to the north-east of the M62 and currently has planning permission for a retail and leisure development which includes a new stadium for Castleford Tigers.
As a result of wider economic issues, including the continued growth of online shopping, it is no longer considered likely that the retail and leisure development will be brought forward over the short to medium term.
However there is currently strong demand for employment and logistics floorspace and the Axiom site is perfectly located next to the motorway network. This provides a timely opportunity to progress an employment and logistics development on the site instead.
If approved, this will deliver a similar level of major socio-economic benefits for the area as the retail and leisure scheme, with the benefit of only one-third of the car movements into and out of the Axiom site. These new proposals for employment and logistics development at Junction 32 will provide a £12.2 million financial contribution towards major upgrades to Castleford Tigers’ existing Wheldon Road stadium.
Employment and Logistics Proposals
Landscaping plan
The employment and logistics proposals include:
- Circa 141,085 sq m of employment floorspace, across approx. 13 units of varying sizes
- Employment uses will include logistics in the larger units with the potential for the smaller units to the south of the site also to be used for manufacturing or light industrial uses
- The creation of around 2,200 FTE new good quality jobs for the area once the development is complete, plus around 1,500 jobs per year during construction
- An electric vehicle charging station to meet modern demands for environmentally friendly transport
- Planted landscape buffers on three boundaries to help screen the development from residential properties
- 22 acres of open space and landscaping
- 40,000 new trees to be planted
- Around 3 miles of new public paths and cycle routes, opening the site up for the community and linking residential areas to the east of the site with Xscape, Junction 32 Outlet Centre and Glasshoughton railway station to the west
- Two thirds fewer car trips per hour than the approved retail development.
Vehicle access to the site will be provided through an improved Junction 32 roundabout only. There will be no vehicle access from Spittal Hardwick Lane. Pedestrian and cycle access will be provided through the site, from Park Road to Spittal Hardwick Lane, and through the new area of public open space.
As the exact size and specification of each unit will not be known until occupiers are confirmed, a ‘hybrid’ planning application for the employment and logistics development has been submitted.
This means that details of the highways, site levels and drainage infrastructure are provided in full with the final detail of the buildings agreed at a later date once site occupiers are confirmed.
The layout plans provided are therefore indicative to give an idea of how an employment and logistics development could be delivered on the site, although the final layout and appearance will be agreed through later ‘reserved matters’ planning applications. The heights and locations of the landscaped mounds and the principle of providing high quality landscaping including some mature planting in key locations is fixed through this planning application.
However, a ‘Design Code’ has been produced that the later detailed design of the buildings must conform to. This includes features such as graded green cladding and curved roofs to ensure that the proposals fit into their surroundings and reduce any visual impacts as much as possible.
Wheldon Road Proposals
The proposed major upgrades to Wheldon Road Stadium will include:
- Demolition of existing Main Stand and replacement with new all-seater stand, and:
- 18 pitch side and 9 elevated viewing areas for supporters with disabilities
- Banqueting suite and corporate hospitality facilities within the new Main Stand
- Players’ gymnasium, and medical and physiotherapy facilities
- Modern changing rooms for players and officials
- Selected refurbishment of Railway End, along with improvements to the existing hospitality suites, in addition to the new suites in the Main Stand
- Refurbishment and installation of new cladding to Princess Street and Wheldon Road stands
- New staff and foundation offices in the south-east corner of the Main Stand and Railway End
- Replacement floodlighting
- Refurbished high ball skills and wrestling facility within existing gym
- New and increased numbers of toilets
- Rotation and installation of new 4G training pitch with floodlighting
- Creation of new match day fan zone area
- Extended club shop
- Resurfacing of car park and circulation areas. This will provide 262 parking spaces
The proposals will ensure the stadium meets the minimum Super League standards and that the club’s long term financial sustainability is secured. As a result of the increased seating to meet Super League standards there will be a slight reduction in capacity from the current restricted figure of around 10,700 to 10,363. There will be 2,361 seats, including 27 spaces for people with disabilities.
Buy a Brick
The club have a record of fans who have previously purchased bricks for a new stadium. It is proposed that these will be integrated into a feature area outside the Wheldon Road stand similar to that at Elland Road as shown below. Any comments on this are welcome.
Highways
We appreciate that access and highways are a major concern to people in the area. During the planning application for the previous retail, leisure and new stadium proposals, significant work was done to ensure that highways improvements would be delivered.
The design of the changes to Junction 32 have been approved by Wakefield Council and National Highways following an extensive period of negotiations and testing.
These highway infrastructure improvements will cost around £15m and will be constructed should the employment and logistics development go ahead.
One major benefit of having employment uses on this site, is that the new proposals will generate two thirds fewer car trips per hour than the approved retail development, while still delivering the same major improvements to the Junction 32 roundabout.
Existing Junction
Approved Layout
The upgrade to the local highways network as part of the Axiom development will accommodate the traffic from our development, resolve existing congestion issues, and take account of future growth.
The proposed development is expected to generate a maximum of 500 two-way trips per hour in the busiest hours. This is significantly less than the predicted traffic which would have been generated by the approved retail, leisure and stadium development.
Benefits
We believe that the key benefits both proposals will bring to Castleford include:
£12.2 million payment towards the major upgrades of Wheldon Road allowing Castleford Tigers meet Super League standards and to stay at their historic home
A new floodlit 4G training pitch at Wheldon Road
Delivery of circa £15 million off-site highway improvements
Creation of around 2,200 new full time equivalent jobs for the local area, along with skills and training opportunities
Providing high quality employment and logistics units in a location required by high quality global logistics and manufacturing operators and that is deliverable over the short term
Approx. 1,500 new construction roles per year during the works
Contribution of around £144 million of local economic activity to the local area
Delivering of new public pedestrian and cycle routes across the site along with new public open space
Development of a key gateway site in Castleford
Ecological and environmental benefits including achieving BREEAM Very Good and a biodiversity net gain
40,000 new trees planted
22 acres of open space and landscaping
Additional social value created through the expansion of the Tigers Foundation’s activities
Significant new business rates income to the Council
If you support the proposals, it’s really important that you tell Wakefield Council. Please click on ‘Show Your Support’ for more information.
If you have any questions or would like to contact the Axiom and Wheldon Road development team, please email [email protected].
Should you have any questions or comments about the proposals, please email
[email protected]
or call
0800 996 1612
To show your support for the Axiom J32 proposals which will fund the Wheldon Road upgrade, please click here.
To show your support for the Wheldon Road stadium upgrade, please click here.
If a blank email does not open automatically, you can send your comments to [email protected], but please make sure that you quote reference 22/02485/HYB for the Axiom application, or 22/02474/FUL for the Wheldon Road stadium application.
If you have any questions or would like to contact the Axiom and Wheldon Road development team, please email [email protected].
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