Council denies secrecy over rumoured stadium plans

No planning application from Newcastle United had been received, the city council said

Council bosses have denied any "secrets or secrecy" over the prospect of Newcastle United building a new stadium on Grade II listed green space next to its current home.

Rumours have swirled for months over the possibility of the club leaving St James' Park for a new stadium, with Leazes Park next door reportedly the preferred location.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service suggested Newcastle City Council's records contained more than 30,000 emails on the subject.

The Labour-led council said it would not comment on rumour but was "absolutely committed to a policy of transparency". The football club declined to comment.

At a meeting on Wednesday, independent councillor Jane Byrne revealed the council had refused to answer her FOI request asking for details of emails between the political leadership or directors and Newcastle United about Leazes Park since 2018.

It was denied on the grounds that it would take officers too long to sift through thousands of pieces of correspondence, she said.

The council's response claimed there were 31,680 potentially relevant emails which appeared in an initial search of its email system containing the terms "Newcastle United Football Club" and "Leazes Park" – and either the words "legal agreement", "leasehold", or "sale".

Thousands of people objected to the prospect of a stadium being built on Leazes Park

Byrne said that writing more than 30,000 emails on the subject would be an "enormous investment of time" and asked why it was deemed justified.

In response, deputy council leader Alex Hay said: "Residents care about the football club, the council cares about the football club, but I am not going to comment on rumour or hypotheticals."

The Labour councillor said the authority was "absolutely committed to a policy of transparency with members of council and residents about all aspects of the council's business".

Hay said: "I understand why questions like this are raised but it is important to recognise that some aspects of the council's work must remain commercially confidential.

"That is not about secrets or secrecy, but about good governance."

The council confirmed it had not received any planning application from the club to develop on Leazes Park or anywhere else in the city for a new stadium or a revamped St James' Park.

Newcastle's stadium is restricted in terms of space to increase its current capacity of just over 52,000, which has fuelled speculation about the need for a new location.

Previously, thousands of people signed a petition against any new stadium being built in the city's oldest park.

Follow BBC Newcastle on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.