Central Fife Times | News | Cowdenbeath committed to new stadium

Saturday, 5th July, 2008

Published: Thursday, 8th May, 2008 10:50

Cowdenbeath committed to new stadium

By Jim Stark

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Cowdenbeath Football Club are committed to building a new stadium in the town, fans were told on Saturday night.

The new owners of Cowdenbeath FC issued a statement at Saturday's Player of the Year function held in Wee Jimmies.

It was explained that Innovate Cowdenbeath Limited is a special purpose vehicle that was set up solely for the purpose of acquiring 100% of Gordon McDougall's shareholding in Cowdenbeath Football Club. This equates to circa 84% of the total of the Club's shareholding and 100% shareholding in Gordon McDougall Promotions.

The acquisition transaction was completed during June 2007 and as part of the deal Gordon McDougall was retained as chairman to oversee the day-to-day running of the club.

Innovate's vision for the future of Cowdenbeath FC is to see the club

relocated into a new stadium with modern facilities that will allow the club to become self sufficient as a business thus sustaining its long term future.

Aspirations for the new facility include latest technology all weather pitch, office space, sports related therapy facilities, business and education related facilities, all of which will be available for community use.

The process of sourcing a site for the relocation has identified four potential sites. Of the four sites, one site has been identified as the preferred location which is directly off the A92 and negotiations are ongoing with the land owner to secure the site.

Said James Methven on behalf of Innovate, "Naturally the part of the deal that helps facilitate the project is the redevelopment of Central Park. As most people have heard, another company who had been interested in the site pre Innovate's involvement had made an outline planning application to get a change of use on Central Park. Their approach was completely against normal procedure and the application was finally retracted at Innovate's request prior to going to the planning authority.

"Innovate have now made formal representation to Fife Council's Mid Fife

Local Plan through the proper channels to have Central Park rezoned for a mixed use development.

"It has to be said that to date Fife Council have been hugely helpful whenever there has been a need to contact them. Timescales wise, Fife Council have issued a key milestone schedule outlining their road map for the local plan process to adoption. In general, it is anticipated that by Spring 2010 there will be an adopted plan. This fits in with Innovate's target programme, in that we hope to have the new stadium under construction by 2010.

"Innovate are currently interviewing design teams and hope within the next four weeks to appoint an Architect and Engineer who will begin designing the new stadium facility.

"The proposal is to create a design committee and an invitation has been extended to the Supporters Club to appoint a representative to the committee so that they have an active involvement in the design process. Regular progress reports will be made available to the Supporters Club as well.

"In the day-to-day running of Cowdenbeath FC, Innovate are fully

supportive of the management team and fully respect the effort everyone

associated with the club puts in to maintain its position.

"Finally, we offer a large thanks to all those supporters who have

followed the team this season and your continued support will be much

appreciated.

At the meeting the Supporters Club also posed Jim and Gordon a number

of questions regarding the relocation proposals. Is the relocation of the club fully dependent on the redevelopment of Central Park? The answer was it isn't necessarily, but the redevelopment of Central Park would likely be a condition of getting consent for the relocation site.

How long can the football club remain at Central Park? As long as necessary until the relocation stadium is completed.

Where will the stock cars go? There is no firm relocation sorted yet, but they will definitely not share the same facility as the football.

Innovate Cowdenbeath also generously offered to underwrite the costs of

up to three buses that the Supporters Club might run to the play offs fixtures.

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