by TREVOR YEARWOOD

Costs have climbed sharply, lighting remains a major problem, but finally Barbados seems on the way to getting a new football stadium in Wildey, near the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex.

The cost of the project that has been on the cards since 2003 has climbed from $2.6 to around $4 million, according to parliamentarian Ronald Jones, who is also president of the Barbados Football Association (BFA).

"Everything has gone up since 2003 – labour, materials and equipment," he told the MIDWEEK NATION yesterday.

He made the comment after speaking in the House of Assembly on a resolution to approve the lease of Government-owned land at Wildey in St Michael for the construction of "an international football field and associated facilities".

The project, which according to Jones is likely to start next March and run for eight months, will comprise a full-sized football field and an administration and technical block. It is likely to have an artificial turf.

Jones told parliamentarians that the long time it had taken for the project to reach the House of Assembly had brought to the fore the question of whether it would still qualify for a $800 000 injection from FIFA, the international football federation.

Jones saw the project giving footballers a "dedicated field" for training for national and international games, ending the problem of having to share the National Stadium with other games and musical entertainment packages.

It would also get footballers used to the wide space used in international competitions, he reported.

One problem remained though – floodlighting. Jones said the Town Planning Department "expressly forbade" installation of floodlights, either temporary or permanent, at the facility.

This seemed to be a legacy of the fight by some people living in the Upton, Fort George Heights and Wildey area, who had complained that the bright lights and high level of noise would adversely impact them.

However, Jones said he would put the matter "back on the agenda", adding that "one would hope that this particular prohibition is removed".

n Please see more House reports on Pages 22A to 25A.