Thetownend.com

Nene Park (the former Rushden & Diamonds stadium) has been derelict for quite a while, and the floodlights have recently been taken down.

I've heard on pretty good authority that they're due to be installed at the County Ground in the summer and that, subject to planning consent, the tidy Airwair Stand from behind one of the goals will also be transported over.

Here's the one - the Stratton Bank would be the obvious victim, as long as the new one could be installed in there:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nene_Park#/media/File:Shots_fans.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nene_Park#/media/File:AIRWAIR.jpg

Normally before purchasing such a thing you would get planning permission but there's nothing on the Swindon planning portal. This combined with the fact we don't currently have a long term lease on the ground leads me to think this is unlikely.

If we are getting the floodlights this would mean the end of our current pylons and that again feels unlikely as we spent a bit of money on them last year.

Well, that's a strange one. Hopefully it's true - Stratton Bank is a waste of space really. Town End needs replacing, too. What else you got?

http://www.afcdiamondsforum.uk/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7726

Guessing this is the source:

http://www.afcdiamondsforum.uk/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7726

Could it be for the training ground?

It's definitely getting demolished in readiness for redevelopment so it sounds feasible. Power isn't too popular in them thar parts.

They haven't got permission to demolish and redevelop Nene Park yet.

It's possible for the training ground but I believe the Highworth residents indicated they would object to floodlights being put up. I guess they might be looking to just add the lights fittings to our existing lights as there are currently some dark areas on the pitch.

well, that the oddest sane rumour I've heard in..er..a while.

it would be a shame to see our old pilons go mind.

I'll believe it when I see it though.

If the Rushden main stand (holding 2,300 odd seats) does replace the Stratton Bank, then the County Ground capacity would stay practically the same but the away fans' facilities would improve ten-fold. Toilets that aren't portal loos... food/drink windows indoors! Perhaps it would see the end of supporters in the corner of the Arkells (except for big games). Although the cynical part of me says that Mr Power enjoys collecting £25 off of away fans currently!!

It also begs the question logistically, just how do you go about moving a stand 80-90 miles from Irthlingborough to Swindon?! Swindon do have previous here though, with the old Shrivenham Road stand being lifted from Aldershot air tattoo!

With the Rushden stand being much steeper than the current Stratton bank, the floor print would reduce, could this allay historic fears about any new stand blocking residents sunlight?

It might well be modular - breaks down into easily moveable sections and then rebuilt on site.

As ever with STFC believe it when you see it.  However I am in favour of recycling stands, hence why I liked the Shrivenham Road so much.

As likely to happen as we are to stay up.

In 10/11, after 23 games, we were 4 points better off than this season. The sale of Austin and loss of goals cost us dear.  This season we've just got no goals anyway. If Sherwood can produce a rabbit from the hat all well and good, if it's more Ellliot Benyon, then we will drop.

If the stand does replace the Stratton bank, I would like to see home fans in there and Town End for away fans. Dad always talks about how good Stratton bank was back in the day.

I think the bottom 3 at the moment will keep us up as they are really shit, any other season we would be relegated

 We're quite fortunate that although SBC owns the CG's footprint, the club owns the stands etc.  This has 2 benefits, firstly it makes it less likely that an owner could cash in Kassam style on the ground, but secondly stymies SBC preferred asset strip of giving the facility to their mates to run, and strangely looking to turn it into housing or similar when there's a cost.

 As has recently happened with both The Oasis and Milton Road Baths.

Tory run SBC would probably love to give the CG to one of these dodgy shell developers , like the Croft mob, and a few years down the line see it turned into housing.

Is there any subject you can't drop in a dig on the tories? Mince pies?

Brilliant until Thatcher came along.....  ;D

The Puritans banned mince pies....Thatcher definitely had a puritanical streak, but probably not as strong as son of the Manse, Gordon Brown. 

Bottom 4?

Would also make sense as the away fans would be right by the coaches and wouldn't have to walk the length of the Arkells.

I suspect also not as strong as the present incumbent, although she does seem to be arousing the nanny fantasy in many an old school tory!

Other than just installing a roof, any redevelopment of the Bank would surely have to involved removing the bank to allow for a new stand with 'beneath stand' facilities. An alternative would be to just create a frame over the existing bank (I'm not sure, but the Putney End* at Fulham looked a bit like this). I can't see STFC (Power) having any desire to remove the bank, and if that was the case, it would be better to design a purpose-built stand to best fit the space rather than just inserting a cast-off.

Logic would suggest that if the Rushden stand was to go anywhere, it would be as a Town End replacement. Or, it could just be the Rushden roof that is wanted for the Bank.

*Interesting fact: air raid shelters were built into the Putney End.

 

To be honest to even install a roof would take a huge mount of ground works as you would have to anchor what is essentially a bloody great big sail/kite into something solid and an elderly brick and spoil structure would be unlikely to fit that bill, I would suspect any SE putting their PI insurance against a scheme would go very belt and braces.

There was definitely an air of getting nanny in to clear up, after the naughty public school boys had had their fun back in the summer. The old skool Tories though would probably prefer their discipline administered by the other Teresa May.

It was good. I used to always take my place underneath the clock with 10-20 others from neighbouring villages in the Stroud area.

The away fans used to have the corner section of the Shrivvy Rd. As already said, it made it easy to get to the coaches.

Utter bullshit in my opinion. The floodlights at The County Ground are currently the best they've ever been after a sizeable sum was spent on them not so long ago replacing all the light units. Add to that the cost of dismantling the stand transportation of it, demolish Stratton bank and rebuild the bloody thing would be ridiculous cost ineffective imo. Especially when The Trust claim they could put a roof on the bank and build a new toilet block for £250K.

Anymore news on this from the Rushden end or the Swindon planning portal?

Cant they be given to millwall

 ;D

wanted too much appearance fee bonus

What Herthab said.

Probably on its way to Waterford via us  :pint:

Heard today they are being stored  at the new training ground ready to be shipped to Ireland

That would not be a great surprise