East Stand set to finally be finished after Cobblers complete purchase of Sixfields land

Cobblers have announced the completion of the purchase of land at Sixfields with West Northamptonshire Council after receiving all the necessary approvals.

After a painstaking process that has spanned nearly a decade, the club can now finally move forward and finish the East Stand. Construction company GRS Group have already done some preliminary work on site at Sixfields and there are plans to release some new CGIs of what the completed stand will look like.

Chairman Kelvin Thomas said: "This is fantastic news for the club, and we are delighted to have concluded the process. We have made a significant investment here to increase the club’s asset base which will allow for improvements in infrastructure, especially the East Stand, that we have always discussed.

“It is especially pleasing that whilst there was increased scrutiny and a lot of misinformation put out there, this whole process was validated by The Hon Mrs Justice Karen Steyn KC and the judicial review. Hon Justice Steyn made it very clear that both the club and the council acted appropriately throughout, that the process was transparent, wasn’t rushed and confirmed that with this deal the best interests for the people of West Northamptonshire, the council and the club were met.

“We want to thank the officers and members of West Northamptonshire Council who have dealt with the matter professionally all along while protecting the interests of the people of West Northamptonshire and we are pleased that Hon Justice Steyn identified this work too.

"As we have always said the main focus now is on getting the East Stand built. We look forward to presenting updated plans, some new CGI images and build timescales to supporters in the very near future while our construction partner GRS Group continue to work hard on the preliminary work that is required. It is a very busy time."

Cllr Jonathan Nunn, leader of West Northamptonshire Council, added: “We’re very pleased to have completed this land sale, which represents excellent value for taxpayers, with a far greater final sale price than the initial professional assessments of the land’s value.

“This deal offers the best chance of beneficial development of the land. I am also pleased that, as the club has said, the purchase of this land puts it in a really strong position to complete the East Stand.

“The sale is in line with the decision made in public by our Cabinet back in March 2022, which was found to be correct in the subsequent judicial review process.”