Work on the first phase of Goole Town Council and the Goole Town Deal Board’s £7 million refurbishment scheme at the town’s Victoria Pleasure Ground has officially begun.
Scunthorpe-based Britcon, the main contractor appointed to work on the project, has been on site since November 2024 carrying out preparatory work, but this week the demolition of the old stand and buildings began.
This will be followed by the construction of a brand new, state-of-the-art, two-storey pavilion offering both internal and external viewing for spectators, as well as modern changing facilities, a kitchen, offices, a first aid room, a physiotherapy room, a cafe and a 160-seat conference and hospitality suite capable of hosting sporting, corporate and social events. The new layout will also significantly increase on-site parking.
As part of a second phase of work due to be carried out later in the year, a new, full-size, artificial 3G pitch and compact athletics facilities will be installed by S & C Slatter Ltd, a contractor specialising in sports facilities of this nature.
Welcoming this significant milestone on behalf of Goole Town Council, Town Clerk Brian Robertson, said: “It’s a very exciting day for everyone involved with this project. The end product is going to be far bigger and better than anything we could ever have envisaged being able to provide for local teams, groups and organisations to use.
“It will undoubtedly make an enormous difference to the sports teams that already play at the VPG, as well as hundreds of local children who play for grassroots teams but currently have to travel outside Goole for training and many other local groups and organisations that will be able to make use of the new and improved facilities.
“Working closely with Britcon, we’ll be doing our utmost to keep disruption to user groups and nearby residents to a minimum over the coming weeks and months, but we’d ask everyone to bear with us as we work to deliver sports facilities that the town can be proud of, and which will undoubtedly help to bring more people into the town centre, boosting the local economy.”
Phil Jones, Chair of the Goole Town Deal Board, said: “Due to genuine fears for the long-term viability of the Victoria Pleasure Ground, as a Board we chose to prioritise its redevelopment as part of our strategic proposals to reinvigorate the town centre by allocating it a share of the town’s £25 million in Town Deal funding.
“Working with Goole Town Council and specialist consultants Steve Wells Associates, who brought their vast experience of developing top class sporting venues nationally to the project, we developed a visionary business case for the Victoria Pleasure Ground and it’s wonderful to see those ambitious plans now coming to fruition as demolition and building work gets underway.”
Nick Shepherd, Britcon’s Managing Director, said: “We are excited to be working with all stakeholders to deliver this exciting local project. We will use best practice from previous sustainable leisure projects to minimise our impact and use regional suppliers wherever possible to maximise social value outcomes and local spend.”
Owned by East Riding of Yorkshire Council and leased long-term to Goole Town Council, the historic venue was no longer fit for purpose and in dire need of investment just to remain open. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Town Deal process made some early funding available which had to be spent by a strict deadline.
Some of this money was used to install energy efficient LED (light emitting diode) floodlighting at the Victoria Pleasure Ground, helping to reduce the running costs of the venue and making it more environmentally friendly. This new lighting will remain as part of the redevelopment plans.
In addition to the Town Deal funding, the Football Foundation is contributing more than £2 million towards the project. Planning permission for the work was granted in 2023.
The town’s semi-professional football club, Goole Association Football Club, which plays in the Northern Counties East League Premier Division, is based at the Victoria Pleasure Ground and has been joined by Goole Vikings Rugby Club, which is now a professional rugby league side competing in Betfred League One.
