Town to get sports boost

New sports facilities to replace Cannock Stadium will be better than any already provided in Cannock Chase, bosses have pledged.

The promise comes after a deal has been signed between Cannock Chase Council, Blake Valley Technology College and Staffordshire County Council on the location and the type of new facilities to be established.

Cannock Chase Council is looking to sell Cannock Stadium for a 350-housing development, to net a £20 million cash windfall.

This money will be used to build landmark state-of-the-art facilities on land at Blake Valley Technology College with the majority of the cash being ploughed into the council's leisure village idea at Cannock Park.

The facilities at Blake Valley Technology College will include a full-size artificial turf pitch, two multi-use games areas with floodlights and an eight-lane athletics track with a ten-lane straight on one side.

Plans to relocate the athletics facilities from the site in Pye Green Road to Blake Valley College will be discussed in finer detail.

The stadium plan was due to start in September and each month of the delay costs taxpayers £80,000.

In a statement the council said: "The broad range of sports facilities will encourage athletes of the future to train."