YORK has faced a long wait for its community stadium. At last, however, we have some details to get our teeth into.

It will be an all-seater 8,000-capacity stadium – so considerably bigger than the 6,000-seat stadium originally proposed. This should please those who worried it would not be big enough should York City win promotion to League One.

Construction is set to start in spring next year – and the aim is for it to be finished by late summer 2016. York City are hoping to play their first friendly in the new stadium ahead of the 2016-17 season.

So much, so positive. There were also a few more welcome surprises in the announcement by council bosses yesterday.

In addition to the stadium – which will be home to York City and the Knights rugby league team – and the associated hospitality and conferencing facilities, the scheme will include a new, 25-metre, six-lane swimming pool to replace Waterworld, and a new sports hall for netball, badminton and basketball.

There will also be a gym, three five-a-side football pitches and space for York Hospital to provide training and development services.

The scheme will provide “one of the leading family leisure destinations in the north of England,” council boss James Alexander claimed yesterday.

It does certainly sound exciting. But there have been delays aplenty to this project already. We hope there are no more. York’s new stadium is already long overdue.