Coventry in bid to snatch Warwickshire County Cricket club
City offers new home if Bears’ £32m Edgbaston plan rejected by council
Mr Povey said new rules by the England and Wales Cricket Board meant that Edgbaston would be struck off the list of test match grounds if the improvements did not go ahead.
He was not immediately available for comment, but Coun Foster, who has written to Mr Povey, said: “We are deadly serious about this.
“We have been discreetly following what’s going at Warwickshire for some time and we think we have some great advantages in Coventry to offer the club.”
He said the 25,000 fans expected to attend test matches would be able to use extensive car parking already on site for the Ricoh stadium and take advantage of a shuttle bus service from the centre of Coventry.
The site suggested by Coun Foster lies in a regeneration zone, raising the possibility that the club’s relocation could be helped by a cash grant.
Coun Foster added: “The Coventry success story can help provide WCCC with a chance to develop world class facilities to ensure the future of test match cricket in the heart of England and at the same time deliver a once in a lifetime development.”
Birmingham planning committee will make a decision on the Edgbaston ground improvement plan on Thursday.
