Newport IW FC have made a welcome announcement that updated plans are to be submitted for their new ground on the Racecourse in Whippingham, despite ‘challenging economic conditions’. The County Town club believe Isle of Wight Council approval for the plans will take no longer than 8 weeks and, as soon as Council approval has been given, South Coast Leisure will be in a position to appoint contractors. The pitch itself won’t change from the original plans, ensuring it meets the Football Association ground grading requirements. Newport are now into their 5th year of groundsharing after leaving St George’s Park, lodging at East Cowes Vics’ Beatrice Avenue home for 2 years before moving to Ryde Saints’ Smallbrook Stadium, then returning to Beatrice Avenue this season. It has now been over 6 years since Island Echo first reported that Newport would be relocating to Whippingham back in 2017. The County Town Club have previously predicted that work on the new ground would begin in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Further predictions were made for September 2022 and March 2023. Will the new ground finally happen this time round? The revised plans for Whippingham – which are yet to be formally submitted – will see the size of the clubhouse reduced from a 2-storey building to just single-storey. This will reduce build costs and time, as well as being less visually intrusive to the clubs’ new neighbours on East Cowes Road. There will be 150 seats in total in 2 stands with allocated Directors’ and Press seats. 
“There is at last some movement in terms of the development at the Racecourse. South Coast Leisure are in the process of submitting an amendment to the application for the clubhouse and seating area at the new ground. “The clubhouse will now be single-storey (but slightly larger footprint), and we at the Trust are fully supportive of this arrangement, as it has 2 advantages: without the need for a lift to the 1st floor, which would have been a legal requirement in a new build, and our maintenance costs will be lower. “It will also be a significantly less complicated construction with a much swifter build time, and the need for a quick conclusion of the project is something John Davies (Club Chairman) and I have impressed on SCL in the last few months. “With the ground already having planning permission and the amendment having a much-reduced height profile, the likely approval from the council should take around 8 weeks, and then SCL will be in a position to appoint contractors. “The lessons of St George’s Park are that we don’t want to have a building that will require a significant upkeep in the future, leading to a financial drain that puts the club at risk again. The reduced height of the building will also be less visually intrusive to our new neighbours on East Cowes Road, and we want a positive relationship with them.”
“I have just heard that a major announcement has just been made that the new ground is going ahead, which is heartening for our loyal squad, who have stayed with us for the past few years ground sharing since leaving St George’s Park.”
In a statement, South Coast Leisure has told Island Echo:
“In what remain challenging economic conditions, South Coast Leisure is continuing to work hard to deliver the new home for Newport FC.
“As part of that, we have developed new plans for the clubhouse element of the proposed new ground at The Racecourse. The club has been involved in developing these plans and officials are supportive of the proposal.
“While preserving all the amenities of the original plan, and meeting the Football Association ground grading requirements, the new design would be built over a single storey. This will reduce the visual impact of the scheme, make the build more straightforward to build and – crucially – will make it easier and cheaper for the club to operate and maintain it.
Article continues below this advertisement “We will continue to keep the club and the wider community informed of developments regarding the new stadium”.
