Council and sports clubs seek residents' support for stadium

York Council made a formal commitment yesterday when chief executive Kersten England signed a pledge along with representatives from York City Football Club and the city's athletics club to ensure the long-awaited development becomes a reality.

The project has faced stiff criticism from York City Knights Rugby League Club's owner John Guildford, who quit the project board two months ago. He urged the council not to spend any more taxpayers' money on the scheme until the future of the club is assured by a binding legal agreement.

Council leader Andrew Waller maintained, however, that the scheme will bring a much-needed boost to sports provision in the city.

Councillor Waller said: "We are progressing the scheme and the memorandum of understanding is an important part of showing our commitment. I would hope that the York City Knights will eventually agree to sign up themselves.

"The new stadium project is a very important facet for the future of sports provision in York, and it will be available for all the community to use."

Mrs England was joined yesterday at The Guildhall by the community stadium project manager, Tim Atkins, as well as the chairman of York City Football Club, Jason McGill, and York Athletics Club's chairman, Neil Hunter, to sign the memorandum of understanding.

The signing of the formal commitment marked the start of a concerted publicity campaign aimed at getting York's residents behind the stadium project.

Key figures in the city have already agreed to join the campaign and act as community stadium ambassadors, and they will be unveiled at events in the New Year.

The Yorkshire Post revealed in June that a shortlist of four potential sites had been drawn up as the project moved a major step towards becoming a reality amid hopes the stadium could be operational by 2014.

Sites which were in the running included York City's current stadium at Bootham Crescent, as well as a location called Mill Crux to the north of the Nestle factory, and land off Hull Road near York University's new 500m Heslington East campus.

The preferred site for the community stadium was selected by councillors in July.

Huntington Stadium, the current home of the York City Knights rugby league team, is due to be re-developed under the long-awaited plans to create a 6,000-seat community stadium.

York Council has been overseeing the two-year project to create the stadium. It would also be the new home for York City Football Club.

But Mr Guildford sent a letter to the council executive in October asking for guarantees the Knights would be able to stay at Huntington Stadium or ground-share at York City Football Club's Bootham Crescent until the new stadium is ready for both clubs.

The letter called for York Council, the football club and rugby club to have a binding agreement before the spending of "any more of the taxpayers' money".

The council's executive member for city strategy, Coun Steve Galloway, has said that the local authority wanted both rugby and football clubs on board but it was now entirely a matter for each of them.

The authority has spearheaded a partnership – involving representatives from the football club, the rugby league outfit and the athletics club – that has looked at other stadium projects across the country.

Coun Galloway admitted the project would require a "change in traditional planning attitudes" with more flexibility on retail and land use, green belt or public open space.