A £35M ($44.9M) redevelopment of Headingley Stadium "could start within weeks," after Leeds City Council’s cabinet on Wednesday approved an "emergency deal to safeguard the long-term future" of int'l cricket in the city, according to Aisha Iqbal of the YORKSHIRE EVENING POST. Planning permission for the development of the rugby and cricket sides of the stadium "was granted two months ago, but work was delayed due to a lack of funding." Earlier this month, Leeds City Council revealed that it "brokered an agreement with a private financial services firm which will provide the bulk of the funding for the project." At Wednesday's exec board meeting at Leeds Civic Hall, councilors across the parties "voted to rush through approval of the new deal so that final agreements can be signed between the four key parties, and work can start by the end of June" (YORKSHIRE EVENING POST, 4/19). SKY SPORTS reported Super League rugby club Leeds Rhinos also plays home matches at the rugby ground on the same complex, and as part of the deal it has pledged around £5M ($6.4M) toward the total cost of the redevelopment. Headingley is set to host four matches during the 2019 Cricket World Cup, "with the improvement work set to start this summer eventually seeing the North-South stand upgraded." The associated economic benefits are estimated to be worth some £20.5M ($26.3M) to the region (SKY SPORTS, 4/19). BDAILY's Nick Hill reported Yorkshire County Cricket Club and Leeds Rhinos will individually, or through a new joint company owned by both clubs, "take sub-leases from the council to cover the cost of the development in full." Once the project is complete, it is estimated that the new stands "are forecast to generate additional expenditure" of £107.3M ($137.5M) from '17-23 (BDAILY, 4/20).
