Plans for Castleford rugby club facilities withdrawn despite public support
Plans for new facilities at a Castleford sports ground have been withdrawn despite attracting 63 supportive public comments.
The proposals for Willowbridge Playing Fields, off Willowbridge Lane, included a modular clubhouse, a storage container and new hardstanding and parking areas for use by Cutsyke Raiders Amateur Rugby League Club.
It recorded 64 public comments, with 63 in support and none listed as objections.
The Environment Agency raised concerns over flood risk during the planning process.
Supporters highlighted the potential benefits for young people and the wider community, including improved facilities for local sports teams.
One commenter said: “This would be a great opportunity for the community to increase kids playing on the fields and also a great place to meet.”
Another supporter wrote: “They need a home.”
A further comment said: “The club is a brilliant idea, the kids need somewhere to change after matches.”
One local resident said the development would be “brilliant for the local community and much safer for the children who use the pitch”.
The proposed development included a 365-square-metre, single-storey clubhouse with a presentation room, toilets, an office, kitchen and store, alongside parking for cars and coaches.
Sport England raised no objection to the scheme and said the facilities would support rugby league and football without affecting the quantity or quality of playing pitches.
However, the Environment Agency maintained an objection after reviewing an updated flood risk assessment in June.
In its response to Wakefield Council, the agency said the assessment had not demonstrated that the development “would not increase flood risk elsewhere”.
It highlighted that raising ground levels for the car park and building could displace floodwater, but said the assessment did not explain how the necessary compensatory storage would be provided.
It requested a revised assessment setting out how replacement flood storage would be delivered.
A separate ecology report found the development would result in a 100 per cent loss of habitat units within the site and said measures would be needed to address the loss.
It had not yet been established how the loss of habitat at the site would be made up elsewhere.
The documents reviewed do not determine whether the flood-risk concerns led to the withdrawal.