Leamington Football Club Limited have called an Extraordinary General Meeting of shareholders to seek shareholder approval for a continuation of ongoing discussions with Warwick District Council, regarding a proposal within the Warwick District Council Draft Local Plan to allocate the club a three hectare site within a new Community and Sports Hub, that would see the club working in partnership with Warwick District Council, Myton School and Warwickshire County Council.
In a press statement, Leamington have said:
The EGM will take place at the clubs New Windmill Ground on Sunday 21 December, 2014 commencing at 11am with a presentation, followed by a question and answer session that will be open to both fans and shareholders. This will be immediately followed by a meeting of shareholders who will be asked to consider and vote on a resolution that would enable the Board of Directors of the club, to continue in dialogue with Warwick District Council
"Warwick District Council's draft Local Plan proposes the allocation of 3 hectares of land for Leamington FC to create a community stadium of a quality we can all be proud of. The site is adjacent to a proposed new main spine road for a substantial new housing area (over 1,100 houses along with new facilities including local shops, a health facility, primary school, and public open space), between the Warwick Technology Park, Myton School, Gallows Hill and Europa Way. There will be public transport via the new spine road into Leamington and back, (together with footpaths and a cycleway), and Leamington railway station is within reasonable walking distance.
"The site for the stadium is big enough to accommodate more car parking than we currently have, and the District Council is also proposing a park and ride site not far away. The site offers the potential for supporting commercial development so we can make sure the whole project is financially sustainable. For example, the site abuts Warwick Technology Park, so it provides potential for the new stadium to accommodate complimentary uses such as conferences and exhibitions, which could generate new income streams for the Club. We anticipate that there would also be facilities in the stadium that the local community could use.
"Within a few hundred metres of the proposed site, the draft Local Plan allows for the major development and expansion of Myton School. This expansion will create a significant new opportunity to enhance the School's sports facilities. The School already runs a sports hall facility in partnership with Warwick District Council, and a 3G all-weather pitch. The District Council also wants to relocate its athletics track onto the school site, which would bring the local Athletics and Cycling club with it.
"The close proximity of Leamington FC to Myton School, the largest Academy in Warwickshire, may provide opportunities for the development of an expanded Football Academy. This close physical proximity of Myton School brings the advantage of all the facilities being capable of being used by Leamington FC (e.g. for training) and vice versa by the local community and schools. The Club, Warwick District Council, Myton School, and the
"County Council, are developing this partnership for the benefit of all and are already talking to Sport England (and others) about funding opportunities that the partnership could attract.
"The land would be offered free of charge through a deal being brokered by Warwick District Council with Warwickshire County Council.
"We believe this is an exceptional opportunity to work in collaboration to secure the long term future of Leamington FC. If approved, we will work tirelessly with our partners to secure the necessary funding to make this exciting project become reality."