Castleford Tigers’ stadium decision due ‘within weeks’

Lateral Property Group was granted outline planning permission for the development by members of Wakefield’s Council’s planning committee last month.

The application must now be approved by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

A spokesman for Lateral Property Group said: “We are expecting to hear from the department within a matter of weeks.

“The government get 21 days to make a decision from when they receive the application. It’s important to stress, though, that the decision may well be that they need more time to look at it.”

The plans include a 10,000-capacity stadium as well as a new food store, petrol station, high-quality shops and a country park on land just off junction 32 of the M62.

It is expected to create around 1,950 full-time jobs and contribute around £7m annually to the economy.

If approved, Steve Gill, Tigers’ chief executive, said the club hoped the stadium would be ready by the middle of the 2017 season.