Sixfields stadium in Northampton to get makeover
Northampton Town Football Club, in partnership with Northampton Borough Council, will redevelop Sixfields stadium in the UK.
The announcement was made after eight years of talks with the Conservative-run borough council.
The £12m redevelopment will increase Sixfields capacity to around 10,000, besides adding a hotel, corporate boxes, and a conference centre.
According to Cllr David Mackintosh, leader of Northampton Borough Council, the redevelopment will include a housing scheme and small scale, local retail development on land, as well as adjacent land near the stadium.
As reported in Northampton Chronicle & Echo, about 300 houses will be built on land close to the stadium along with a gym, office space, and a coffee shop.
The project will redevelop the east stand, which would be twice its current size. The current west stand will also be re-developed to include 10 corporate boxes, creating an impressive approach to the town for those arriving from the south west.
Northampton Borough Council will loan the club up to £12m to start the redevelopment process, till the project breaks even. Various leisure facilities will be added to the scheme to make it self-sufficient, including the 100-room hotel.
The Sixfields recycling centre is expected to be relocated as part of the development along with the athletic track next to the football ground, reports Northampton Chronicle & Echo.
The hotel is expected to be built on the stadium’s west car park and could be linked to the ground by a bridge.
The football club is expected to pay the council back by 2017.
A planning application will be submitted in autumn 2013, with the scheme scheduled to be completed by the start of the 2014/15 season. The proposal is expected to come up before Northampton Borough Council’s Cabinet at its meeting on 17 July.
Sixfields Stadium is a 7,653-capacity all-seater sports stadium in Northampton, serving as the home ground of Northampton Town Football Club.
