Castleford Tigers' stadium plans clear major hurdle to hand club boost ahead of new Super League season

Castleford originally planned to relocate to a new stadium at Junction 32 on the M62 before Axiom Yorkshire – the owners of the site – agreed to provide £12.2million of funding towards improvements to Wheldon Road.

The long-awaited stadium redevelopment is edging ever closer after getting the green light from Wakefield Council’s Planning and Highways Committee.

The decision has been referred to central government for final review.

Castleford kick off their campaign at home to defending champions Wigan Warriors on Saturday.

Tigers managing director Mark Grattan said: "Our historic Wheldon Road home has long been in need of significant modernisation.

"Today’s decision by the planning committee members marks another major hurdle cleared.

"We are grateful to Wakefield Council’s planning committee members for backing their officer’s recommendation today.

"We are also grateful to Wakefield Council for the £2million of funding through their Rugby League Resilience Fund, which will be invested in Wheldon Road.

"In addition, the multimillion pound private sector investment provided by the Axiom proposals will deliver a step change for the club, enabling us to secure the long-term future of the club and place us on a more equal footing with other professional rugby league clubs.

"Castleford Tigers supporters have been hugely patient and we sincerely hope that patience will soon be rewarded when we have high-quality facilities to match our rivals."

The modernised Wheldon Road is set to feature a new all-seater main stand and improved facilities for players, officials and supporters.

The Axiom proposals would provide around 1,830 permanent full-time jobs in Castleford and the site is calculated to generate around £142million of local economic activity per year.

A spokesperson for Axiom Yorkshire said: "Wakefield Council has been rigorous in their approach to these two planning applications, and we are grateful to both the planning committee members and the officers for the decision to approve both proposals.

"As the site is within the Green Belt, the Axiom application will be referred to the National Planning Casework Unit who will advise on whether the decision by Wakefield Council requires further scrutiny before formal planning approval is given.

“We would like to offer our sincere thanks to the thousands of people who supported the Wheldon Road and Axiom proposals. We will provide a further update in due course.”