THE Stadium for Cornwall is a step closer to reality after Cornwall Council agreed to provide £3-million towards the project.

And Cornwall Councillor for Callington Andrew Long was among the 69 members who voted in favour of the scheme.

At County Hall on Tuesday a packed council chamber heard that the stadium would be built on a site near Threemilestone and would be a home ground for the Cornish Pirates and Truro City FC as well as providing business and conference facilities and kitchen and hospitality training facilities for Truro and Penwith College. The stadium would also be available for Cornish organisations and sports clubs.

At the beginning of the year the stadium partners approached Cornwall Council for help to raise the last £6-million needed for the £14.3-million project.

The council considered the request but said it would only consider providing £3-million, with the other half of the funding hoped to be provided by Central Government, fulfilling a commitment made by former Prime Minister David Cameron.

It is also dependent on a full business plan for the project being approved by the council’s chief finance officer and will also be assessed by an independent expert.

oke in favour of the stadium during the long debate, touching on the benefits of raising aspirations for young people and the health and wellbeing benefits it could bring.

Cllr Long said: ‘I believe that this is no different to other projects that the Economic Growth Fund has supported in the past – and it now puts the pressure on the Conservative Government to come good on the promise of £3-million.’

Mebyon Kernow leader Dick Cole said that the project was a ‘no-brainer’ and said it presented an opportunity for Cornwall.

Councillor Tim Dwelly said councillors had a chance to do something positive for Cornwall and asked whether councillors wanted to be in a position when asked in the future what they did and had to answer that they ‘stopped the Stadium for Cornwall happening’.

Barry Jordan said he could not support the stadium describing it as a ‘stadium for Truro’ and not for Cornwall.

Councillors voted 69 in favour, 41 against and seven abstentions.