Cheshire Jets: Confusion as new stadium project is omitted from council budget

Feb 10 2011 by Alec Doyle, Chester Chronicle

A HUGE question mark now hangs over plans for the Cheshire Jets to leave Chester and move into a £10m sports arena in Ellesmere Port.

The basketball club last year announced a link-up with Cheshire West and Chester Council that would see them jointly fund a replacement for Ellesmere Port’s EPIC leisure centre.

It would have allowed the Jets to leave their current home, Chester’s Northgate Arena, and move into a gleaming new multi-purpose facility just seven miles down the road.

But in yesterday’s ‘Capital Vision’ budget meeting, the first phase of the council’s spending budget included no mention of the EPIC replacement, leading to fears the authority may be placing it on the back-burner.

This would spell bad news for the Jets, who are under pressure from the British Basketball League to bring their ageing home court up to the required standard. Any teams not doing so could ultimately face expulsion from the BBL.

Jets director Pete Hawkins confirmed: “There is an absolute requirement for BBL clubs to have stadia that are fit for purpose or to have a committed plan to playing in one in the short term.”

Hawkins added that his club was working closely with the council to build a new facility and arena in Ellesmere Port “in the timescale of 2011-2013”.

The Ellesmere Port project is to be funded largely by the council, but with contributions from the Jets which would allow them to help design the arena around their matchday needs, giving them a home suitable for TV coverage and with a greater capacity.

With the absence of the project in the budget – and the inclusion of the similar £11m Northwich Lifestyle Centre – many now believe the EPIC replacement could be delayed until the latter half of the decade, rather than being ready for 2014 as originally planned.

The council say a replacement for the EPIC remains one of their “top priorities to be developed between 2011-13”.

A statement issued this week added: “At present an allocation of £200,000 has been earmarked in the 2011-12 budget to pay for detailed technical audits on two sites – Cromwell Road and Stanney.

“Following this, the authority will undertake a further revenue and capital modelling and then identify funding routes.”

The Jets still stress their belief that the project would go ahead as planned. But they cannot afford any delays, because a grant application they have made to Sport England is likely to include a deadline for the money to be spent by or paid back.

Opposition Labour party members in Ellesmere Port remain convinced the EPIC replacement is being sacrificed in favour of Chester’s theatre plans.

Ellesmere Port Cllr Justin Madders said: “This is a total betrayal of the town. There has been a feasibility study already and a new study is just a sop so the council can say its still in their plans.

“I have no confidence this council has any intention of building the replacement EPIC.”