Kop planning application lodged with council – new “Matchday Forum” to liaise over access as capacity grows

Wrexham AFC have submitted the formal planning application for the new Kop stand.

The club say the pre-application consultation has been successfully completed with 708 responses from members of the public, in addition to those from the statutory consultees.

The club said they are “…comfortable that the consultation was undertaken thoroughly and in accordance with the Planning (Wales) Act 2015. The full public scrutiny informed the formal submission to Wrexham County Borough Council.

They added, “Of the 708 responses, 691 (98%) were generally supportive with less than 1% not in support. A small number shared their views / comments without expressing their position on the plans.”

The plans for a 5,500 seater Kop stand include a new public realm and associated works externally.

The plans will provide 500 seats in the hospitality on the upper tier of the Kop and the ground flood concourse will accommodate up to 600 visitors on non-match days for events and exhibitions. The Kop Development also includes a relocated Club Shop, offering “enhanced community facilities and offices”.

Some local concerns have been noted around the large increase in the number of fans due to attend, as we covered at the bottom of this report) noting the development potentially means an extra 636 away attendance on average, and another 5,724 home fans on average – a total increase of 6,360 fans a game. That is a significant increase compared to the existing 8,640 capacity – and last season the average attendance for home matches at the Racecourse was 8543 – with games over 10,000 now back on the record books.

The club acknowledge the related feedback, “While there was overwhelming support, some raised match day parking and the impact this has on residents as an issue. Notwithstanding that the Club is satisfied that the Match Day Access Strategy that supports the planning application is robust, the Club have committed to create a ‘Matchday Forum’ with local councillors and representative groups to establish what improvements can be made, irrespective of the planning proposals.”

The club say they will be launching several initiatives to formally support the application.

The Pre- Application Consultation Report is not yet public, so the detail can’t be reported, as it has not been published by the club or the council yet.

The Council have not yet published the entire planning application – however the club had put a substantive set of draft documents in the public domain at the start of the consultation process.

As usual the planning committee will consider the application at a later date. Wrexham AFC planning geek and once footballer Dean Saunders has yet to stick his oar in and declare if he will be attending.