Cumberland Sports Village set for go-ahead

With the council gearing up to appoint a contractor, a hybrid application for the redevelopment of Workington’s Borough Park and its surrounds is recommended for approval next week.

Cumberland Council’s planning committee will face a stacked docket at the 27 May meeting, with plans for around 500 homes and a solar farm of up to 13 MW at Ewanrigg Farm, Maryport also expecting verdicts.

But the £16m sports stadium project is the eyecatcher. Full permission is sought for the new stands to be created at the ground, along with facilities such as changing rooms, a function suite and retail and hospitality areas, along with changes to access, parking and landscaping.

Outline consent is sought for extensions to the stands, giving flexibility to the project that will allow the ground’s capacity to be expanded. This is the main project in Workington’s £23m Town Deal. The council has £12m ringfenced for the scheme, with the rest to come from borrowing.

Cumbria Combined Authority signed off support of £4.5m in April.

Workington AFC will move out to the nearby Derwent Park, home of the rugby league side Workington Town, while the work goes on, with both teams then using the new venue once work is complete.

• BOOK NOW: Cumbria Development Update

The current capacity of Borough Park is around 3,100, with the redevelopment set to take that to 3,700 initially, and then potentially onto 5,000. Sports specialist FWP is the architect of a scheme that also involves the Borough Park pitch being replaced by all all-weather surface, and a community pitch being delivered alongside the ground.

A report to Cumberland Council’s executive on 26 May will see the executive asked to rubber-stamp the appointment of a main contractor for the stadium scheme, along with adjustments to the funding arrangements.

In short, permission is sought to procure demolition and construction contracts up to a maximum of £16.6m.

Funding secured: £5.4m project-specific Town Deal cash, £1.2m Town Deal cash reallocated from Oldside’s remediation, up to £1.5m from the Sellafield Social Impact Fund in two chunks, and the CCA’s  £4.5m. The council will borrow up to £5m to cover the remainder.

Both clubs are partners in the CSV vehicle set up for the project, along with the council.

Documents relating to the scheme can be viewed on Cumberland’s planning portal, reference FUL/2025/0119. Savills is advising on planning.