Huddersfield Town’s billionaire owner Kevin Nagle is wasting no time in drawing up plans to develop land around the Accu Stadium.
Though the ink isn’t quite dry on a 300-year lease, work is already well advanced on a blueprint and development strategy for the 53 acres of prime real estate.
Town’s chief operating officer David Threlfall-Sykes offered a glimpse of the future when he spoke at Huddersfield Unlimited’s annual conference.
He revealed that the club is working on a “gigantic feasibility study” to decide what should be built around the stadium.
A hotel is the priority but the club wants to complement wider developments in the town, not compete.
The club says it wants to be a “catalyst for economic, social and cultural revitalisation in Huddersfield, benefitting residents, visitors, businesses and sports fans alike.”
Mr Threlfall-Sykes (above) said there was a “vision, excitement and purpose” around the club as big as there was three decades ago when the stadium was built.
“We see this as much like the inception of the stadium,” he said. “This is the next big moment in our history.”
Mr Threlfall-Sykes added: “With anything we do on this site we have to work in partnership and tandem. There’s no point us doing something that’s going to compete with other people on our doorstep.
“It’s all about partnerships and working together. We want this town to be as good as it can be.”
Town see a hotel as a key part of its vision to become a major regional conference, events and concert venue.
Planning permission was previously granted for a 165-bed hotel over the river footbridge on a playground and part of the Town Avenue car park but that’s not the only possible location.
It’s thought a hotel could be incorporated into the North Stand – now the Terriers Together Stand – which was originally designed with a hotel in mind.
There is, of course, a swimming pool and leisure facility still there too which could be an added attraction for hotel guests.
The hotel is at an “advanced stage of planning” and Mr Threlfall-Sykes said: “Hopefully in the next two or three months the hotel plans will be more cemented.”
It was also revealed that the purchase of the Odeon Cinema complex next to the stadium could be back on.
Mr Nagle first expressed an interest in leasing the former Rope Walk pub as a new club retail store but the investment company that owns the whole site – which includes the nine-screen cinema, Costa Coffee and Pizza Hut – offered to sell the whole complex instead.
The club says discussions are “in progress on a possible acquisition” though news this week that Pizza Hut is to close down may complicate matters.
The surrounding site also includes a potentially picturesque riverside and 12 acres of woodland and the club is looking to preserve that and create walking or cycling trails.
Town says: “The club is dedicated to unlocking the full potential of the Accu Stadium footprint, delivering long-term value and unforgettable experiences for the local community and our visitors.”
Mr Threlfall-Sykes said there was a “huge opportunity” for local businesses and investors to get involved at the very start of the journey.
“We are doing this work now so get involved,” he said.
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