A COUNCIL has said it will "fully consider" the business plan for a proposed new £67m events arena in the North East.

Redcar and Cleveland Council recently received a business case for the planned  5,000 capacity Coatham Arena, in Redcar.

Those behind the plans say a new events venue, on the site of the former Redcar Bowl, could be ready to open in 2024 with funding from the private sector if the council is prepared to lease the land and grant planning permission.

Council chiefs last year imposed a deadline on the company being used as a vehicle for the project, Coatham Arena Limited – a consortium of property developers and local businessmen – to come up with a business case and feasibility study to demonstrate the plans are viable.

It was later granted more time to progress the scheme, along with a continued  period of exclusivity.

Support for a new indoor arena has come from the likes of Sting and Saltburn-born David Coverdale, of rock band Whitesnake and formerly of Deep Purple, who once lived in a flat down the road in Redcar.

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A council spokesman said: “The council is able to confirm that documentation has been received outlining the proposed development of the Coatham area of Redcar. 

“Our team of experienced officers will now take time to fully consider the plans before advising Coatham Arena Ltd further. 

“The authority has previously paused other plans for the area to give due consideration to the proposed plans for an indoor arena delivered by the private sector.”

The Northern Echo:

Representatives of Coatham Arena Limited pictured at the former Coatham Bowl site in Redcar Picture: Teesside Live

A spokesman for Coatham Arena Ltd said the business plan addressed technical, operational and financial matters, as well as environmental, transport and accessibility concerns.

He said detailed plans would be drawn up and a formal planning application submitted “as soon as the council confirms its willingness to make the site available”.

The company claims the new arena would host an “all year programme of elite entertainment, sporting, conference, exhibition and social events”, attracting thousands of visitors to the town and potentially creating hundreds of jobs.

The spokesman said: “The scheme has been endorsed by leading performers, promoters and politicians and is regarded as a major catalyst for the regeneration of the area.”

He added that international consultancy group Mott Macdonald along with another firm, Destination Developments, had produced an “innovative interior design providing unique flexibility” and capable of offering various capacities for different types of events.

Planning permission is in place on the land in question, off Majuba Road, for a hundred space car park as part of a seafront regeneration of Coatham, which is due to include a new £6m, 42-bed hotel and a 18-hole mini golf course.

But one of the business people promoting the scheme, Stephen Green, has urged the council to think bigger, warning if Redcar “keeps thinking slides and swings on the seafront” it will be “the nail in the coffin”.

Redcar Conserative MP Jacob Young said he had received a copy of the business plan – which has also been requested by the Local Democracy Reporting Service – and he was “looking forward” to discussing it with the council and relevant parties.

 

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