A vision of the new multi-million pound shared sports stadium for Workington has finally been unveiled.

Allerdale council has revealed plans for an 8,000 capacity stadium - which would be home to Workington Reds and Workington Town.

The facility, which is estimated to cost around £15 million, will be developed on the current Borough Park site, home to Reds, and the recently acquired nearby riverside land - formerly a dog racing track.

It is hoped that the stadium would be complete by 2021, and could possibly host the Rugby League World Cup, if the council's bid to stage a game is successful.

The stadium will help to secure the future of the town's football and rugby league clubs, along with providing facilities to the wider community and grassroots sports.

Mike Rollo, commercial and finance director at Workington Reds said: "It has been an exciting journey getting to this point and I’d like to thank the council and Workington Town for their cooperation.

"There is going to be some intensive work over the next few months to get this vision to reality, but we are ready for the challenge.

"It is our key objective to deliver a strong sustainable future for the club and to bring our fans along with us."

Workington Town spokesman Barry Scholey, said: "The concept designs look fantastic and set the bar for the ambition we have for the facilities we want for our players, our supporters and the local community.

"Of course there is a lot more work to do but we’ve worked well as a team on this so far.

"If we are going to turn these aspirations into reality, we need to keep the momentum going whilst making sure that all of our requirements are satisfied.

"We also need to work it through our own governance arrangements at the club."

The project, which would be funded by a mixture of grants, sponsorship and money from partner organisations, is expected to be completed by spring 2021.

It is hoped that a planning application will be submitted this winter.

The planned development includes an 8,000-capacity stadium, with a mix of seating and terracing, and a full-size synthetic pitch for community use.

To meet the playing demands of both clubs, the pitch will be made using the latest hybrid technology of both plastic and real grass. This is the same technology used in the recent football World Cup in Russia.

The plans have been drawn up by architects Holmes Miller, who are internationally renowned for building stadiums.

A council spokesman said no final costs had been confirmed but it is estimated the stadium could be built for £15m. And the authority hopes the facility would generate its own income from conferences and events, as well as rent fees to other users.

"With shared costs and new, modern and more efficient facilities, the new stadium would make the clubs more sustainable and encourage a bigger fan base.

"The benefits of the stadium will also be felt by the wider community as it will also provide facilities for local clubs and help to inspire people, young and old, to take up sport.

"The landscaping work will make the riverside location more accessible and attractive for local residents - all part of the council’s commitment to improve the health and well being of residents and improve towns in the area."

Allerdale council acquired the land close to the planned stadium as part of its plans to open-up the whole of the lower Derwent Valley and continue the regeneration of this area.

It comes on the back of the building of the new leisure centre, as well as the recent granting of planning permission for a hotel, restaurant and coffee shop nearby.

Alan Smith, leader of Allerdale council, said: "I’d like to thank the clubs for their input and support on this project. We’ve come a long way and these plans are really fantastic.

"This development will put our town on the map. It will build upon the success of the leisure centre and be something the whole of west Cumbria’s communities can be proud of."