Workington Reds chairman stunned at super stadium cost

By Martin Morgan

Last updated 13:06, Tuesday, 23 September 2008

Workington Reds chairman Humphrey Dobie has reacted with amazement to revelations that the football club’s option to redevelop the town’s sporting landscape has been priced at a whopping £29.5m – when they want only £2m to transform Borough Park.

Humphrey Dobie

Reds have vehemently opposed the idea to build one super stadium for the Blue Square North outfit and Workington Town, costed now at almost £31.5m, and instead proposed that both clubs’ stadiums be redeveloped.

But Reds’ favoured option, including state-of-the-art leisure centre and all-weather pitch, as part of a scheme to transform the Derwent Valley, comes in at only £2m less, in a report to an Allerdale Council taskforce spearheading the area’s regeneration.

“The cost beggars belief when we could refurbish Borough Park for about £2m,” said Dobie, who believes the football ground and neighbouring Derwent Park could be redeveloped for under £5m in total.

Reds are basing their proposal on Hinckley United’s grandstand, which seats around 600 and has extensive facilities for sponsors, officials and social functions.

This proposed new stand at Borough Park has been priced at around £1.2m by Reds, who have reiterated that they will not accept the shared super stadium option.

“We have told them until we are blue in the face, but they keep looking at the option,” added Dobie, who declared that Reds will not move from Borough Park.

Under this single stadium option, Derwent Park would remain as a training area, with new speedway track. The Reds chief also cast doubt on the plan to plough the massive sums on the table in to the wider redevelopment “in the current economic climate.”