Green light given for Colwyn Bay FC’s new 1,000-seater stand as attendances rise

Colwyn Bay Football Club will erect a new 1,000-seater stand at its Old Colwyn ground, taking its capacity to 1,850.

Conwy’s planning committee has granted the club permission for the stand, subject to the project meeting some highway amendments within the next three months.

The JD Cymru North League club’s plans include a car parking area at the rear of the ground.

Councillors hope the new car park will help ease traffic pressures on matchdays.

Neil Coverley, chairman of the club who play at their Llanelian Road ground, said: “This development will help promote and progress not only the local football club but the local area, nationally and internationally, helping boost the economy and employment.

“It encourages growth and progression and would be a significant addition to the community and one of which we would all benefit from.

“The new stand will take our seating capacity to 1,850. This capacity won’t be reached each time we have a home game, but it will enable us to consistently be at the forefront when hosting youth internationals and European fixtures.

“We are all immensely proud of what we do up at the football club and our plans for the future. The satisfaction of this club being such a presence in our community is very rewarding, and let’s hope with a positive outcome this upgrade will enable us to flourish further.”

Cllr Nigel Smith proposed the committee backed the plans.

“Well, we met at the site visit yesterday, and what a welcome surprise for somebody who doesn’t do football,” he said.

“As a county councillor, I was really pleased with the facility they have there. I think it is a real asset, and with the new stand, it’ll be an even better asset, not just for Colwyn Bay but the whole of the county.

“The car parking at the moment is very tiny, and I’d imagine, a bit like my home town, on football days, you just can’t pass the ground.

“It would be a bottleneck without a doubt, and I think this off-street parking will be a real benefit to the whole community and something that would take away that issue of parking on the main road.”

He added: “I’m mindful of the fact that Colwyn Bay is becoming a real magnet for sport. We’ve got rugby down the road and football on this site. It is really pleasing to see.”

Cllr Ifor Lloyd seconded the proposals, adding: “Colwyn Bay is becoming a Mecca for football, especially Llanelian Road.”

“The car park is well needed. Anyone who goes down Dolwen Road or Llanelian Road on a matchday, there is a whole host of parking problems. As you find with football matches, people park anywhere,,and this (the proposed car park) resolves that matter.”

Cllr Jo Nuttall added: “We should be really proud of the football club. They are going places.”

By Richard Evans – Local Democracy Reporter