North Lincolnshire Council has placed the main car park at Scunthorpe United’s Glanford Park on the market as part of plans to deliver extra-care housing and specialist accommodation for older residents.
The 1.3-hectare plot, located to the east of the stadium, is being advertised open to offers, with strict planning expectations requiring any buyer to develop extra-care residential units and adaptable bungalows.
The sale is not unexpected, given agreements made when Glanford Park and surrounding land were purchased from former owner Peter Swann with support from the council and the government’s Town Deal Fund.
But the listing has sparked increasing concern among supporters – not only about parking, but also about the potential financial impact on the club. The car park currently generates significant matchday revenue and many fear that losing it could have serious consequences at a time when attendances are rising under chair Michelle Harness.
United have averaged around 4,500 fans at home games since Harness took the reins and supporters are worried that inadequate parking options could put off match-going fans and risk pushing those numbers back down.
The concerns are heightened by the expected opening of new retail outlets in the same area, with many fans warning of “traffic chaos” if both developments proceed without plans for alternative parking or improved road access.
The car park is currently leased to the NHS during weekdays for a park-and-ride service while improvement works take place on the staff parking area known as The Pit near Scunthorpe General Hospital.
Further uncertainty surrounds the club’s long-term footprint, as North Lincolnshire Council also owns United’s training ground. That land, too, could be considered for development in the future, potentially leaving the club needing to draw up contingency plans for both matchday and training facilities.
Developers interested in the car park site are being urged to study the full development brief, which outlines the strict planning conditions and the requirement that the land be used for elderly and complex-needs housing.
No comment has yet been made by either Scunthorpe United or North Lincolnshire Council regarding the sale or its wider implications for the club.
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