A vital meeting is being held next week which could decide the fate of Colchester's long-awaited community stadium.

Major parties involved with the project, including Colchester United FC and Colchester Council, will be discussing the latest plan to get the 10,000-seater stadium under way.

The plan involves Colchester Council borrowing £8 million to part-fund the project, which could see building work under way within a year.

If all parties connected with the community stadium agree to the plan at the private meeting next week, it will see the project take a major step forward.

Colchester Council will then produce a business plan to take to banks and financial institutions to secure a multi-million pound loan.

The club will put the final touches to its plan for the stadium, which will go to the council's planning department for approval.

If the loan and the plan get approval, work will then begin on a 10,000-seater community stadium at Cuckoo Farm, to the north of Colchester.

News of the meeting comes as the Evening Gazette's petition for the Community Stadium Now! campaign broke through the 16,000-name barrier.

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Published Wednesday, January 12, 2005

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