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19
Jul
First look at Harrogate Town’s new training facility plans
Harrogate Town revealed details of its new training facility at a public consultation in Wetherby on Thursday (July 17).
The new £2.75m training ground will have two pitches - one grass and one artificial - a facilities building, and 75 car parking spaces. There will also be an overflow area, cycle parking provisions, and an equipment storage area.
The main building will have 33 rooms, including staff offices, physiotherapy rooms, a gym, a dining hall, and changing rooms.
The three drawings of what the full facility will look like.
The search for the right location
Town have been searching for its own designated training facility for several years now to boost its stature in the English Football League.
It currently rents Rothwell Juniors Football Club’s facilities for first team training, and various pitches across North Yorkshire for its women’s and youth teams.
The proposed new training ground belongs to Wetherby Racecourse, just off the A 1(M) . Town's owner, Irving Weaver, plans to take out a 70-year lease on the land.
The proposed facility (circled in red) will sit to the east of Wetherby Racecourse (highlighted in yellow).
The proposed facility will be less than 4 miles from Leeds United's training ground.
The club explained why it needed the facility:
Most professional football clubs have a similar arrangement where the training facility is in a separate location to the stadium.
This allows for the creation of a specialised environment for players that is purpose-built for conditioning, tactical work and rehab, provides consistency and privacy for players minimalizing disruption, creates a separation of duties from matchdays to training and all-weather facilities to support year-round training regardless of weather.
An aerial view of the facility.
The club was keen to emphasise that the community benefits of its own training ground. It plans to use the facility for the men’s, women’s and youth teams.
For the club to get the new ground through a planning process it needs to meet certain criteria which include being within the club’s catchment area for youth players, have good road network access and opportunities for biodiversity enhancements.
To meet these targets a new footpath will be created linking the ground to the bus stop on York Road.
Woodland to the east of the ground will be maintained and used as a buffer to shield from noise and views from the road.
The club says additonal planting and landscaping will increase the biodiversity of the site.
Following a review of the feedback, a planning application will be submitted to Leeds City Council.
York Road runs adjacent to the facility to the North.
Present at last night's consultation were club chief executive Sarah Barry, and owner Irving Weaver. Look out for our interview with him tomorrow.
Anyone who did not attend the consultation can still submit their own comments online by clicking here.
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