Further progress has been made on the Cumberland Sports Village in Workington with a decision taken to seek an operator for the site.
Cumberland Council’s Executive has taken the decision (Wednesday 16 September) to start a competitive procurement exercise to appoint a specialist stadium operator to operate the new stadium and 3G community pitch.
Cumberland Sports Village is being developed at the existing Borough Park Stadium in Workington, home to Workington AFC.
The new stadium will be shared by Workington Town RLFC and Workington AFC, known as Workington Reds, with both clubs continuing to play an active role in the development of the project.
The scheme is intended to replace ageing stadium infrastructure and create a wider Sports Village that supports professional sport, grass roots sport, community participation, health and wellbeing, local pride, economic activity and regeneration. The site will also include function rooms and catering facilities to accommodate commercial events such as conferences.
Its location close to Workington Leisure Centre provides an opportunity to create a connected sport, leisure and wellbeing destination rather than a standalone stadium.
The project has continued to make significant progress in recent months. A reserved matters planning application has now been submitted for the stadium to accommodate up to 5,000 spectators.
Procurement is now underway to appoint a main contractor ahead of the construction phase, which is scheduled to commence in January 2027.
Leader of Cumberland Council, Cllr Mark Fryer, said:
"Cumberland Sports Village will create a modern, shared home for Workington AFC and Workington Town RLFC, while also delivering wider opportunities for people of all ages to take part in sport and physical activity.
“The project continues to drive forward, and the operator procurement process is another important milestone. It will ensure that the site is sustainable in the future.”
Residents can visit the project website to view updated CGI visualisations, access the latest project updates and follow key milestones as the development progresses: www.cumberland.gov.uk/CumberlandSportsVillage
Cumberland Sports Village is supported by the UK Government Town Deal, Cumberland Council, Cumbria Combined Authority and the Football Foundation. The revised scheme will be project managed and delivered by Cumberland Council.