Public Outcry Over Rumoured Newcastle United Stadium Plans at Leazes Park

National World - LocalTV

Plans to potentially build a new Newcastle United stadium on Leazes Park have sparked major public backlash, with over 28,000 people signing a petition opposing the idea.

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00:00Plans to potentially build a new Newcastle United Stadium on Leases Park have sparked

00:05major public backlash, with over 28,000 people signing a position opposing the idea.

00:11Although no official proposals or planning applications have been submitted,

00:15speculation has grown that the club could move to a 65,000-seated

00:19stadium near its historic St James' Park home. The possibility has alarmed environmental groups,

00:25with campaigners calling it unacceptable to sacrifice the city's oldest public park.

00:30At a Newcastle City Council meeting on Wednesday, Save Newcastle Wildlife's Rachel Locke submitted

00:35the petition and called for a public referendum. She described the idea of building what she dubbed

00:40as a Saudi Super Stadium, referencing the club's Saudi ownership as scandalous.

00:46Leases Park opened in 1873 and is a Grade 2 listed green space with more than 1,000 trees

00:51in a rich history of public use. Locke noted its importance to the city's community and wildlife,

00:57calling it a green and pleasant place for people in nature.

01:02However, the Council rejected the call for a referendum, citing the lack of any formal

01:06development plans. Councillor Dan Greener said no application had been received,

01:11and stressed that NUFC would be subject to the same planning scrutiny as any other developer,

01:16with full public consultation required. Councilors across parties agreed on the need for transparency,

01:24with Liberal Democrat leader Colin Ferguson urging the club to clarify its intentions.

01:29The debate mirrors similar opposition in the 1990s when NUFC dropped controversial plans to move to the

01:35town more. Today, the fate of Leases Park, recently back under City Council control after years of charity

01:41management, remains a sensitive topic.

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