Hereford FC have confirmed that planning approval to install new floodlights at Edgar Street has been secured.
This exciting news – which is in the process of being formally signed of by Herefordshire Council – means that installation can move forward at the earliest possible opportunity and it is hoped that work will be able to start on site on Monday morning (14 October).
If work goes to plan, full installation of the new floodlight towers and LED lights should be completed within two weeks, meaning that they can be used for the first time when the Bulls entertain Farsley Celtic on Saturday 26 September.
Speaking about this news, Hereford FC Chairman, Chris Ammonds, said:
“This is absolutely fantastic news for our football club and I’d like to thank all the agencies involved for the work that’s been done in recent weeks to get planning approval over the line.
“Specifically, I’d like to thank our contractor, Musco, National Highways Midlands and Herefordshire Council for their support and while this has been a drawn out process, there has been a real urgency to collate all the information required of late.
“I’d also like to acknowledge the vital support provided to this project by the Football Foundation and the Marches Growth Hub. Without the funding secured through these sources it simply would not have been possible to dream of installing new floodlights at Edgar Street, so we are extremely grateful to both these bodies.
“In addition, we should also express gratitude to our local MP, Jesse Norman, as he made personal contact with senior figures at Highways to emphasise quite how important our new floodlights are for the future of the club.
“Most significantly though, I’d like to thank the club’s Stadium Director, Darren Ball, for his incredible efforts leading on this project.
“Not only has he worked incredibly hard over the past six months to liaise between the various parties involved to try to keep the planning process moving forward, even prior to that he spent many hours putting together grant applications to source funding for the installation of the new lights.
“I am delighted his hard work will now get the reward it deserves and he will understandably be more excited than anyone when installation begins.
“I’d also like to thank the club’s General Manager, Jamie Griffiths, and Secretary, Nik Marsh, for the support they have provided to Darren – this project has been a real team effort and one that everyone who cares about our club should be very proud of.
“While our old floodlights are iconic in terms of their design and structure, unfortunately the light produced has been borderline in terms of being of the standard required for many years.
“Coming so soon after the demolition of the Blackfriars End, the installation of our new, LED floodlights is another important milestone for our club and I hope it’s a further demonstration of our ambitions to drive Hereford FC forward, both on and off the field.”
