Stockport County’s stadium plans were thrown into confusion last week.
An expansion to bring the capacity of Edgeley Park to more than 18,000 was supposed to be decided by councillors during a town hall meeting on July 3.
The project is thought to be critical to the League One club’s long-term future as it climbs the football pyramid aiming to reach the Championship.
With a recommendation of approval from council officials, a handful of County fans turned up at Stockport town hall for the crunch meeting last week expecting good news.
But like with many things in football, there was a late twist.
Just ten minutes into the meeting a delay was announced, when councillors revealed new information had been sent to them at short notice, meaning the decision had to be deferred.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) can now reveal the reason for the delay, and what happens next.
A six-page letter from the Edgeley Wildlife Reserve group, seen by the LDRS, was sent to the council’s planning committee the day before the July 3 meeting.
This was confirmed by multiple sources at the town hall, as well as the campaign group itself.
It left councillors having to make an urgent decision on what to do, with deferral thought to be the safest bet so the letter could be fully considered.
Chair of the planning committee, Coun Steve Gribbon, said in announcing the delay: “Because of information that has come to light at short notice, we want to make sure that planning officers give us the correct information and the correct decision is reached.”
The wildlife campaign group has been a vocal critic of one part of Stockport County’s stadium plan, opposing a proposed car park behind the south stand.
It would mean the loss of an area of natural green space which some say is critical to the local community and animal populations.
Rob Eyre from the Edgeley Wildlife Reserve group said the car park is the focus of the campaign, rather than the expanded stadium itself.
He argued that losing the space could “decimate” animals living there, and wants to see it become a community asset instead.
The group’s letter to the council sent on July 2 outlines all its reasons for trying to stop the car park being built.
The letter says the space is Edgeley’s ‘only significant natural habitat vital for improving mental and physical health and equitable access to nature.’
It also described the plans for the car park ‘unjustified’, and urged the planning committee to reject the planning application so parking can be re-designed and the green space protected.
So what happens next?
Stockport County’s application to redevelop Edgeley Park will come back at the council’s next planning committee meeting, scheduled for August 14 at 6pm at the town hall.
Before then, council officials will review the new letter.
As with any application, they will share their advice with councillors on whether the application should be approved or not.
Ultimately, the decision will be confirmed in a vote by the 12 councillors that make up Stockport’s planning committee.
If the plans are approved in August, Stockport County hopes to complete the stadium expansion in phases.
Work could begin at the end of next season according to non-executive chairman Ken Knott, who spoke to the LDRS in May about the timeline of the work.
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