Major plans for Headingley Cricket Ground unveiled
Plans have been revealed to transform the Headingley Cricket Ground and make it one of the ‘finest’ cricket venues in the world.
Over the next 20 years, the Yorkshire County Cricket Club will work in partnership with Leeds Rugby, Leeds City Council and DLA Architecture, to redevelop the ground.
Chairman of the Yorkshire County Cricket Club, Colin Graves, announced: “This is the most ambitious project the Club and the venue will have undertaken since the ground was first established 125 years ago.
“As other venues around the country continue to invest in their facilities, we cannot afford to stand still and expect that Headingley will always host international cricket. The stark reality is that if our stadium fails to evolve we will lose our Test Match status, which would be a devastating blow to the region.”
There are six phases of the project, which costs around £50m.
Floodlights are to be installed whilst the North/South Stand will be rebuilt adjoining the rugby ground. A roof will be built to cover the White Rose Stand, and an entrance to the stadium on Kirkstall Lane will be created.
A new multi-storey Pavilion will also be developed in Phase Four, which will include state-of-the-art corporate facilities as well as new dressing rooms for players and coaching staff.
More seats will be added to the cricket ground, allowing the seating capacity to increase from 17,000 to 20,000.
In order to move forward with expansion plans, the Yorkshire County Cricket Club is to secure the support of members, the community, businesses and other key stakeholders via a detailed consultation period.
Mr Graves added: “Our ambitions are clear. We want to create a stadium that is amongst the finest in the world and enable Yorkshire to continue to stage major international fixtures over the long term.”
