By Alan Irving

Last updated 16:00, Wednesday, 07 May 2008

A MULTI-MILLION pound investment in and around Whitehaven Recreation Ground, home of the town’s rugby league club, hangs in the balance.

A sports village is planned as well as a revamp of The Recre to bring it up to Super League standards. But it was made clear to The Whitehaven News yesterday that no money would be ploughed into the scheme until the rugby league club and the ground’s owners, the Miners Welfare, can come to terms over a long term lease.

Now the club and its partners – West Lakes Renaissance and Copeland Council – are seeking an urgent meeting with the Miners Welfare to try to break the deadlock.

The Recreation Ground is seen as the centrepiece of the ambitious Pow Beck regeneration project centred around a sports village concept. West Lakes Renaissance holds the £20 million purse strings through government funding.

The club and its partners are looking for a lease of at least 50 years but financial terms may be a factor in clinching a deal suitable to all parties.

The Miners Welfare is believed to be looking to increase the rent on the use of the Recreation Ground pitch to £15,000 a year – a rise of £10,000 – and that has been put in writing and this would be for a 15-year lease.

Concern over the situation was voiced at Whitehaven RLFC’s annual shareholders meeting. New marketing director Mike Graham said nothing could happen without a long lease.

He told The Whitehaven News yesterday: “This is the sticking point and there seems to be some inertia surrounding the whole issue.

“We need to see some progress otherwise no money will be put in, and everything is held up, simple as that.

“A long-term lease has to be in place: nobody will put in a huge investment if it is only for 15 years or so. There has to be some movement so that the Pow Beck scheme can go forward and a much-needed new rugby league stadium built. This is all for the benefit not just for rugby league interests but the wider community.”

The Whitehaven News understands that there is no chance of any of the £500,000 nuclear cash pledged by BNFL being released towards the RL developments without the security of a long lease.

One of the partners said: “Nobody is going to invest until there is some security of tenure of at least 50 years.”

Having just survived a major financial crisis and narrowly escaped being put into administration, Whitehaven RLFC faces real difficulty in raising any large amounts of cash needed to secure the lease.

Chairman Gordon Grace told shareholders last week: “We are still sailing close to the wind.”