RICS Awards 2009 winners revealed

Opened in August 2008, the Weston Homes Community Stadium is a new 10,000 seater football ground providing community facilities for the residents of Colchester and the wider area of Essex.

The stadium was born out of an innovative public/private/third sector partnership formed between Colchester Borough Council, Colchester United Football Club and the Colchester United Community Sports Trust, to develop and deliver a stadium that balanced community and commercial interests in a sustainable way.

A diverse range of sporting, recreational and economic benefits are provided by the new stadium, which includes a study support centre, a wedding venue, community facilities and a 400 seater corporate venue, as well as five-a-side football pitches for the local community.

The structure of the ownership in the Community Stadium means that the football club has a day-to-day operational requirement to deliver services to the community as well as compete as a professional football club. This has ensured that costs are limited and specialist expertise is brought to bear.

As the first major regeneration project to take place in North Colchester, the Weston Homes Community Stadium has provided significant employment in the building of new roads and on the stadium site. A green link of 10,000 trees, one for every seat at the stadium, is also being established to provide an access route between the stadium and the wider community, as volunteers from schools and local residents help plant and maintain the trees. 

This is a step change for the way that stadia are conceived, delivered and run. The community facilities that this brings are phenomenal, and should be a driving force for Colchester."

 Simon Pott, Chairman of the Judging Panel

Project Team