Ah well...

[McLovin]

http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/swindonnewsheadlines/display.var.714218.0.blow_to_towns_stadium_hope.php

[DMR]

What a shocking, unexpected suprise. Ahem.

[horlock07]

There is something very fishy going on here.

Who if anyone is nactually advising the board, you would expect them to have employed some professionals to get the planning permissions they need, people who would have known from day 1 that the fact that you are upseting other sports ain't going to work.

Even if the board in their wisdom are not taking advice, how much are Mowlems involved, as they dont make the money they make without employing the best!

Equally the staff at the council would have advised them of this at an early stage, its not exactly rocket science!

[Sussex]

Nice picture though.

[RobertT]

They do have consultants onboard and I think they have been aware for a while now that the proposals as submitted were not going to get the nod.

They did get some advice from the Council before making the proposals as well, but I can only guess that something got lost in translation for them to have come out with what they did.

They have stated that they are willing to work on revised proposals though, os if they mean it, we should still be able to produce something.  Caborn's reply does suggest a development is possible on site.

[Simon Pieman]

Couldn't we just build the houses elsewhere to fund the stadium?

[pauld]

Tbh, this is a bit of something and nothing. If you want to take the negative view, then it's another nail in the coffin of the housing-based proposals the club submitted in the autumn. But they've been dead in the water for a good while. If you want to take the positive view, this puts government weight behind the idea of a redevelopment of the County Ground, at the County Ground, further adding to the pressure on the council, and which could be very important later down the track (e.g. if plans look like getting called in). Or you could see it as "local MP pokes oar in to prove she's got clout with ministers". Either way, it's not really anything that new, irrespective of hype from the Adver!

[Cookie]

Or local MP taking a pro active approach to an important issue for us all.

Fair play to her I say, she's helped raise the profile of the stadium re-development proposals.

[Piemonte]

Tbh, this is a bit of something and nothing. If you want to take the negative view, then it's another nail in the coffin of the housing-based proposals the club submitted in the autumn. But they've been dead in the water for a good while. If you want to take the positive view, this puts government weight behind the idea of a redevelopment of the County Ground, at the County Ground, further adding to the pressure on the council, and which could be very important later down the track (e.g. if plans look like getting called in). Or you could see it as "local MP pokes oar in to prove she's got clout with ministers". Either way, it's not really anything that new, irrespective of hype from the Adver!

Exactly right Paul. Seems like the adver sensationalising something that most people have known for a while - redevelopment of the cricket and athletics sites isnt going to happen.

[pauld]

Or local MP taking a pro active approach to an important issue for us all.

Fair play to her I say, she's helped raise the profile of the stadium re-development proposals.

Sorry Cookie,yes, didn't mean my comment to come across so negative. One thing this does do is push the process on, and as I did say Anne Snelgrove's intervention at govt level may be crucial later on in the process. Sorry if what I posted didn't convey that.

[Dazzza]

Tbh, this is a bit of something and nothing. If you want to take the negative view, then it's another nail in the coffin of the housing-based proposals the club submitted in the autumn. But they've been dead in the water for a good while. If you want to take the positive view, this puts government weight behind the idea of a redevelopment of the County Ground, at the County Ground, further adding to the pressure on the council, and which could be very important later down the track (e.g. if plans look like getting called in). Or you could see it as "local MP pokes oar in to prove she's got clout with ministers". Either way, it's not really anything that new, irrespective of hype from the Adver!

I'd say that sounds spot on PD.

The below seems like a bit of a walk down the Garden path and I'm of the thought just what the hell is Mrs Snelgrove doing taking proposals between the council and club to the Sports Council for an opinion, which she has made public?

It's all very third hand and unofficial sounding.  The Minister said this, the Minister said that the Adver should have really followed the piece through and got some direct quotes from Richard Carbon.

It sounds very much like the result of the cross party meeting last week in an attempt to try and generate some sort of movement again between the club and council.  It's just a shame that it's been carried out and then presented in such a poor way.

“The minister was of the opinion that the amount of housing far exceeded the money needed to fund the redevelopment.”

Mrs Snelgrove stressed that Mr Caborn does support the idea of the club rebuilding the County Ground in its current position.

But he believes the large number of houses in the present scheme could be reduced and instead new shopping and hotel facilities could be built to fund the project.

The MP’s letter added: “He thought it should be possible to raise sufficient funds by developing retail, hotel and conference facilities, as well as a new football ground on the current County Ground footprint.

“However, it is impossible to judge this without sight of a detailed financial plan.

“I now need you to provide a business plan to take this forward.”

Mrs Snelgrove said: “It is both bad news and good news for the club.

“He is putting the kibosh on the current plan but is supporting the idea of them staying in the town.”

[Arriba]

plans should have been right from the start,wasn't planned properly from the outset.
what a joke

[my-velocity]

Theres a bit of wasteland by Zurich you could build flats on if that would help :-))(

There are loads of places where you can build houses, the council just have to be stupid and suggest putting them where a stadium is.

[pauld]

Theres a bit of wasteland by Zurich you could build flats on if that would help :-))(

There are loads of places where you can build houses, the council just have to be stupid and suggest putting them where a stadium is.

The council didn't, the club did. Which is the problem with the current proposals. But a stadium redvelopment needn't be funded solely by selling land for housing - other clubs have come up with more imaginative ways and it can be done here.

[Arriba]

hopefully one day the club will come up with something that may have a chance of happening,or forget the whole sorry saga, i think we should make do with what we have and manage the club properly,which is the reason the club is in the state its in.bad decsions over the years have cost the club dearly.