Cheltenham football club revamp and community hub a step closer to reality
In what is seen as a major step forward, Cheltenham Borough Council chiefs have approved more than £500,000 for the Petersfield Park football stadium and sports closer.
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Upgrades for a Cheltenham football club and a new community sports hub are step closer to becoming a reality.
The proposed Petersfield Community and Sports Hub can now a go ahead as Cheltenham Borough Council chiefs have approved more than £500,000 for the Petersfield Park scheme.
The building, which will be located at the site of Saracens FC football ground in the Moors estate, forms part of a wider overarching strategy to support the St Peters and the Moors area.
The new sports hub will replace the existing club-house facilities that are housed within two shipping containers to the north of the football pitch.
The site is owned by Cheltenham Borough Council but Saracens FC has a 25 year lease on their ground and the land where the shipping containers are located, with 22 years left.
Council chiefs agreed at the cabinet meeting on June 10, the terms by which an amended lease could be offered to Saracens FC.
They also agreed the terms by which a separate lease could be offered to the Petersfield Partnership charitable incorporated organisation (CIO), which was set up in 2023 to deliver the hub building.
Safety and Communities cabinet member Victoria Atherstone (LD, St Peters) told the meeting the community centre and sports hub is going to be really valuable for the community.
“I know that there’s lots of exciting activities happening in the Rock on Tewksbury Road and the YMCA Sports Centre and the location of this new hub will just help to bring the community together,” he said.
“It’s a great upgrade from the current units that Saracens Football Club currently have, and I know that that would be a huge value to a really much loved local sports club.”
Deputy leader and finance and assets cabinet member Peter Jeffries (LD, Springbank) said the Borough Council has a track record of supporting communities across the spa town.
“I suspect on this occasion there will be some more obstacles and some more challenges, as there have been with other communities in the past.
“But I think collectively, and this is the key in collaborative and collective working with our communities. This particular instance is the community working with us because they are leading this.”
Civic chiefs also agreed to using their five per cent management fee that accrues from its role as locally trusted organisation for the Big Local project to support the Petersfield Partnership deliver the hub building.
And they will now enter into a grant and management agreement with Petersfield Partnership to ensure that the hub building is managed for the benefit of the local community during the period of the lease.
Council leaders also agreed to dispose of the land by way of two separate leases.
And, once these conditions are met, they will delegate authority to finance and legal chiefs to agree the terms of the lease and conclude the letting.
Borough chiefs have committed to allocating £356,643 of the Big Local fund which is currently held by a local trust but which will be drawn down by the council.
The plan is also to agree the allocation the future administration fee of £17,832, that accrues to the council from its role as accountable body for the St Peter’s and the Moors partnership.
This includes the previous administration fee of £42,143 that forms part of the funding currently held by the council and other funding currently held by the council for the project comprising the Big Local underspend, the contribution from the housing revenue account and the police and crime commissioner funding totalling £71,133.
And the cabinet has also agreed to enter a grant agreement with the Petersfield Partnership CIO to facilitate the transfer of these funds.
By Carmelo Garcia, local democracy reporter for Gloucestershire. carmelo.garcia@reachplc.com