Business plan for Cornwall sports stadium approved

Supporters for the stadium gathered at County Hall

Members of Cornwall Council's cabinet have voted to fund a business plan for a possible new county stadium.

The cabinet approved a recommendation to spend up to £120,000 looking into details such as possible private sector funding, transport issues and any financial implications for taxpayers.

A feasibility study into a 10,000-seat facility was published last week.

It said the best potential site for the would be at Threemilestone, near Truro, and would cost between £14m and £24m

'Nurturing sporting talent'

Council officers recommended the option to develop the stadium proposals in more detail. It was approved unanimously by the cabinet.

More than 11,000 people have signed a petition in support of the project.

A group of supporters gathered outside County Hall in Truro before the meeting and handed the petition to the leader of the Conservative-led unitary authority, Alec Robertson.

Gardiner and Theobald, which drew up the study for Cornwall Council, said it could create up to 400 jobs and attract a visitor spend of up to £3m a year.

Truro City Football Club and the Cornish Pirates rugby team were both stakeholders in the study.

Cornwall Council said when it commissioned the study in 2010 that, if built, the stadium would help nurture regional sporting talent to compete on a national scale.

However it said in December that no public money would go towards its building because of spending cuts.