By Martin Morgan

Last updated at 13:12, Wednesday, 07 May 2008

Whitehaven face a massive rent hike to stay at the Recreation Ground.

Into the valley: The news this week that Cumbria Sports Academy trustees want a new £23 million stadium on their Hensingham site came as a bolt from the blue. Copeland Council’s big drive is to build a new sports village in Pow Beck Valley, where the Recreation Ground is sited, above, with a state-of-the-art stadium as a centrepiece

Landlords Whitehaven Miners Social Welfare have made a written offer to increase the rent from the current £5,000 per year to £15,000, tied to inflation, in exchange for a 15-year lease.

Haven are still talking to the Miners, but the club require a much longer lease, of around 50 years, to attract investors to plough funds in to an extensive redevelopment of the stadium, to bring it up to Super League standard.

It is believed the Miners have verbally offered a 50-year lease for £250,000, which is well outside the club’s price range.

Haven last week reported operating losses totalling almost £220,000 for 2006 and last year, though it is likely to face a much smaller shortfall of around £50,000 by the end of the year.

The club is operating without a lease at present. Its previous lease expired last year.

Haven director Mike Graham stressed that the club needs “full and frank negotiations to progress the matter,” with the Miners’ group, as soon as possible.

A plan to upgrade the Recre is central to a much larger proposal to develop the Pow Beck area of the town.

Graham, who did not disclose the rent figures, added: “At the moment we are in a position where we need a realistic lease so investors can come in confident that there’s a long-term plan for the club and the ground.

“It’s absolutley imperative that the Pow Beck scheme goes ahead, so we have first-class facilities for the community of Copeland, which will serve it well in to the future.

“I had an interesting conversation with the chairman of Leigh on Monday in which he informed me that on June 23, they take possession of their new stadium.

“He informed me that it had been achieved by a partnership of local authority and private enterprise. The only way forward I can see, is for a partnership approach, not to the benefit of just Whitehaven Miners or Whitehaven RL Club. The benefit has to be for the wider community.”

First published at 11:40, Wednesday, 07 May 2008
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk