Permission to build a multi-million pound stadium for Cornwall could be a last hurrah from councillors up for re-election in May.
The planning application for the controversial stadium will be heard on Thursday at the final meeting of Cornwall Council's strategic planning committee before elections on May 2.
The council's former chief executive, Kevin Lavery, was a champion of the stadium project but left for a new job in New Zealand before his dream could be realised.
The stadium has been dogged by funding concerns throughout. Under Mr Lavery's leadership secret plans were drawn up to provide public money for the multi-million pound project but councillors decided they did not want to foot the bill at a time of cuts to other services.
The current plans for a £16 million stadium have been put forward by Cornwall Community Stadium (CCS) Ltd – a group made up of Cornish Pirates, Truro and Penwith College and property developers Inox.
The college has said it would put up £2 million towards the scheme but it is still unknown where the rest of the money would come from.
The stadium project is not short of supporters. The campaign group, Stadium 4 Cornwall (S4C), has thousands of followers and has received celebrity endorsements from sporting figures such as commentator John Inverdale.
Rod Lyon, general secretary of S4C, said: "We consider that once we get full planning permission the people who are showing interest in financing the stadium will hopefully come forward.
"When the councillors thought they had to put finance in they were against it but all they would be doing now is approving the design and setting."
Outline planning permission was granted in May last year for property firm Inox to build 1,500 homes at Langarth. The firm has promised to donate adjacent land for a stadium to Cornwall Council.
The planning application for the controversial stadium will be heard on Thursday at the final meeting of Cornwall Council's strategic planning committee before elections on May 2.
The council's former chief executive, Kevin Lavery, was a champion of the stadium project but left for a new job in New Zealand before his dream could be realised.
The stadium has been dogged by funding concerns throughout. Under Mr Lavery's leadership secret plans were drawn up to provide public money for the multi-million pound project but councillors decided they did not want to foot the bill at a time of cuts to other services.
The current plans for a £16 million stadium have been put forward by Cornwall Community Stadium (CCS) Ltd – a group made up of Cornish Pirates, Truro and Penwith College and property developers Inox.
The college has said it would put up £2 million towards the scheme but it is still unknown where the rest of the money would come from.
The stadium project is not short of supporters. The campaign group, Stadium 4 Cornwall (S4C), has thousands of followers and has received celebrity endorsements from sporting figures such as commentator John Inverdale.
Rod Lyon, general secretary of S4C, said: "We consider that once we get full planning permission the people who are showing interest in financing the stadium will hopefully come forward.
"When the councillors thought they had to put finance in they were against it but all they would be doing now is approving the design and setting."
Outline planning permission was granted in May last year for property firm Inox to build 1,500 homes at Langarth. The firm has promised to donate adjacent land for a stadium to Cornwall Council.
