He shoots, he scores. At least that's what developer/investors Wrenbridge are hoping for, after it announced that it is poised to bring forward plans for its Cambridge sporting village.Never one to just sit back and do nothing, the Cambridge-based developer is lining up the goals posts and is in the final weeks of deciding if it will just push ahead with the £15m joint venture with Grosvenor and submit a planning application for its sporting village this year, rather than wait until next as it had planned.
The project would build a new stadium which will house Cambridge United FC as well as 600 houses - which will give them the money bit. Wrenbridge bought CUFC's existing site the Abbey Stadium with Grosvenor back in 2010 and has been piecing together plans for a new stadium ever since.
At the back of its mind might be the Cambridge's local plan which goes to consultation next month. Waiting could mean ugly scenes over rolling back the green belt - which covers all of Wrenbridge's site. The rolling back of the green belt is hugely controversial, but necessary step, if the city is to meet its growth targets. Consultation is likely to be a slow process.
Chris White, director at Wrenbridge, said to EG last week: "If we go down the immediate application route then there could be play in the stadium in 2016/2017. If we go down the local plan route then it will be two years later and we'd twin track the application with the local plan."
Even without the possible controversy of piggy backing the local plan the stadium has not been without its opponents. Wrenbridge says there is a "crying need for a new stadium". But transportation to the ground and car parking are still worrying residents.
Wrenbridge, for its money, says the guided bus goes straight to the stadium's door and other car parks, such as the ones at Addenbrookes Hospital could be drafted in to cover weekend matches. Says White: "If they drew Manchester United then we could look at using Duxford's car park."
Lettings are rolling in with Anglian Ruskin University having signed a memorandum of understanding to relocate its sports facility to the grounds and Core Cambridge, a sports conditioning facility for elite atheletes and those with injuries, will also be embedding into stadium.
But whether Wrenbridge will bring in another club to the stadium is still up in the air. It has - and is - in talks with Cambridge City FC to bring the club to the stadium but CCFC made news late last week when it announced it had bought a 35 acre site at Sawston, 10 of which is for a new stadium. Many in the industry think this may be cage rattling to squeeze Wrenbridge at the negotiating table.
The developer has also been in talks with Cambridge County Cricket Club about a presence at the stadium. White said: "We don't need all three clubs, two would help but all three clubs? the pitch couldn't take it and there isn't enough scheduling time to fit all the games in."
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