Council approves £3m stadium funding

Cornwall Council has approved a £3m funding deal for a proposed stadium.At a meeting yesterday (17 April 2018), the authority’s members voted to approve the plan by 69 votes to 41 with seven abstentions.The stadium, which will host the Cornwall Pirates rugby union team and Truro City FC as well as a centre for education, conferences training and functions, has already received planning approval.Phase 1 of the development will have 6,000 seats and will be designed to allow extension to 15,000.Funds will come from unallocated money within the council’s economic development match funding budget.The three partner groups involved in the project: Truro and Penwith College; Cornish Pirates and Truro City Football Club; had initially requested £6m funding towards the £14.3m project. However the council believes the remaining £3m can be co-funded from central government.The report which was considered by councillors read: “Cornwall has a strong identity that recognises its sporting heritage and the Stadium for Cornwall project represents an opportunity to secure and further develop this for future generations.”The project has now been developed to incorporate the necessary financial safeguards plus a wide range of benefits for business, education, health and wellbeing, sport and local communities. This has now become a stadium for Cornwall.”