Thetownend.com

Did a stadium tour yesterday ,was told that Don Rogers stand getting executive boxes next season each one holding ten people, club have already sold 3 off plan apparently .Also Stratton bank roof planning permission applied for . Roof cannot go any higher than flag poles at rear of bank.hope this happens ground will look half decent,get rid of town end with new stand and will be job done.

I assume the covered SB would be for away fans and The Arkells all home then?

If application for PP has been submitted it ain't been validated yet.

Incidentally interested to see that the application from 1993 to put a 3600 seater stand on Stratton Bank has never actually been determined?

I was told the same at a stadium tour back in April.  I think it's part of the script........

Seems a financial nonsense to me. Why waste the money on a roof of a stand that we hardly use.

Could understand it if we were redeveloping the town end.

All part of the masterplan!!  Away fans on the bank, home fans in the Arkells - how the locals in the Arkells are going to take to the Town End people whilst the TE is redeveloped could be interesting!!  How many supporters are going to be upset if they are putting exec. boxes in the DRS?

Quite a few I expect and rightly so. Our best stand by a mile, by all means put boxes in once new stands replace the others but now would be silly.

A roof on the bank is nonsense - that stand should be the first to go as it is embarrassing.

Why are exec boxes silly?

New stands? Heard it all before....when I'm sat in the cunt I will believe it.

Pieman: They aren't,  I expect they would be a nice earner but I think that taking a good chunk of seats out of our best stand to accomodate them with shit stands still standing is silly. Don Rogers is usually filled quite nicely most matches and if my seat was to go I wouldn't be too pleased - especially if the alternative was the Town End or Arkells.  

If they aren't doing anything in regards to replacing the Bank anytime soon then would make more sense to put them in there..was that not once mentioned?

 

As I've only been back for a while can anyone explain why the SB end of the Intel is now virtually unoccupied when it used to be popular

Good question. I used to sit in chav corner myself but my thought is the demise of the away fan on the bank lessoned it's appeal. The atmosphere became better in the town end , and cheap town end tickets helped.

I hear they're going to have a big screen scoreboard too which shows highlights and replays....in the coming weeks...

It used to be quite excellent - especially that game with the Millwall fans in attendance as well as us!

Where would the exec boxes go in the Don Rogers? At the back? Surely not cross the middle, that would fuck things up.

Surely the exec boxes would go at the back and only a handful of rows of seating would need to be sacrificed

Isn't it the gap near the front? In-between the enclosure and the middle section?

Chang the DRS never sells out so what is the issue? Its a good idea that the old board kept harping on about but never actually did. Ive been impressed with the corporate side of things so far under this board. The electronic advertising boards looked good yesterday, more sponsorship and more income.

I used to sit up there and it used to be cracking, I think it was a combination of not having aways fans in the bank, and at some point, they changed the pricing so it was the same for the entire stand, rather than cheaper in the sides and more pricey in the middle.

The boxes would go in around the first 5-10 rows above where the steps start to go down underneath.  There is a hidden floor inside the stand.

I'm sure this conversation has been done numerous times on here with photos and all...

It has. Cant remember the thread, but the one with old county ground photos, shows the 2nd concourse, when the drs was being built.

Noticed that they're bringing back the advertising boards behind both goals, never understood why the club doesn't get more local businesses to advertise with boards around the pitch.

That means you will have to start going again ;D

What, you want a 3 sided stand (like the pub team down the road)? :o

Not Jed's biggest fan, but the if he gets the exec box idea of the ground, puts a roof on the bank & does this new scoreboard thing well fair play to the bloke (2 out of 3 wouldn't be bad). Board after board have waffled on about redeveloping the ground for nothing to actually happen.

The answer always was to just do up the CG, great location, great character to the ground. Key is don't have illusions of grandeur deal with the cards you're dealt with, and it looks like Jed's going to do just that.

Good on him.

Still not seen a reason for the Stratton bank roof. Yes the away fans can always be put there but so what. We'd increase the home capacity of an already under utilised arkells.

Does it somehow reduce policing costs as segregation isn't then the same? Does it allow higher ticket pricing? There must be a point to it?

Because only tinpot teams have 3 sides on their ground ;)

We already have a 4 sided ground. It's the tin pot drum wielding away teams that never bring enough to use it.

I think we know what kind of wanky team plays in a triangle, built on a sewage farm ...

Gillingham are a good example for us, boxes cost up to £13,000 per season + VAT, so £15,600.

Imagining you could easily get 20 into the stand, that's £312,000 per season in revenue or about 800 adult season tickets.

Reality would probably be a few not sold for a season and then you are looking at £1000+ for one match rental, which over 23 games is pretty hefty match day income.  Certainly compared to usual pricing.

Would imagine it would help bring in money.The stand has been that bad that we had it named after a family for no money at all,what decent company would pay to advertise that stand at the moment

Don't see how anybody can moan about ground improvement and tidying up the Stratton Bank after all lets be fair it is a shithole!

Exec boxes in DRS and a roof on the bank would be a good start to redevelopment it has to be said. I think after that you'd need a whole new Town End and Arkells but they're both a long long way off....The Arkells even more so.

As I understand it, the front section of the stand could be removed (you can see it halfway complete in the photo below)

(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2663/3871980900_0081360eca_o.jpg)

So there would be a small section of seats in front of the new boxes, would look like this i reckon (wycombe wanderers), perhaps with a smaller section in front.

http://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/01/57/25/1572514_66a1b989.jpg

Re the bank roof/intel boxes, im not sure an application for pp has actually been submitted, and until it is I suppose we arent much further on. Nothing is showing on the SBC website.  The club may be undertaking pre-app discussions with planning officers, but this is generally a private matter. Could always make an FOI request for meeting notes etc?

If and when it is submitted there will be a load of accompanying reports/plans, including a daylight and sunlight assessment, rights to light assessment, planning statement, design statement. Would be interesting to see if any of them talk about aspirations for wider cg redevelopment.

By the way, I'm all up for a new roof. It will just tidy things up and give the feel of a proper old school football ground. Might be the catalyst for other stands too.

Anything but a soulless relocation site next to the motorway.......

Not only would a roof tidy the bank up but chucking the away fans in would make the whole area look better with ppl in it on gamedays than the empty current look

Give the Arkells back to home fans whether sells out or not

At least the ends of both wing stands nearest bank would fill up a little more, esp if exec boxes are finally built

Anything would be an improvement on now

I happen to like the ground as it is.

Totally accept that things have to change if we are to progress as a club but I don't like change when it comes to football grounds

You like the bank as is ???

From elsewhere in the ground looks odd being completely empty and in comparison the the DRS next to it looks ancient
Was last in the bank v Port Vale and it hasnt changed in donkeys years - still same old outdated toilets and was bloody freezing even in May. Facilities certainly piss poor and is in serious need of some cash being spent on it

Used to be a great place in the 80s when terracing split with opposing fans

It's in need of knocking down altogether. It's awful and a roof won't change that.

Away followings of under 1000 (most clubs in this league) will be kept in the Arkells regardless of a roof on the Bank.

Stick a roof on it if needs be and it will be fine.

Poor facilities such as outdated toilets don't bother me, the best pissers in the football league used to be in the away end at Saltergate, no roof pissing against a wall.

If I want to watch football in comfort I'll do it from the comfort of my sofa, just a personal thing.

Would they be able to move the DRS back a bit then to accommodate the new boxes in the middle like Wycombe? 

Maybe they could pinch it at the top and stretch it upwards?

I do like Wycombe as a ground. For a 'new' ground, it does have character and not a soulless bowl or 4 identikit sides. Something similar at the CG would suit us fine.

I think they should just build a wall around and create the illusion of a new stand

Is this a serious question? Can they move a 5000 seater stand "back a bit." I'm no structural engineer but I reckon I can answer this one; No.

:D

It would be a big improvement to have a roof on the Stratton Bank and have the away fans in their own stand and give the corner of the Arkells back to the home fans.

However, whether the board have actually applied for planning permission remains to be seen, as it could just be a load of tripe.

I know someone who has hired out one of lounges for the season and they have paid £15,000.

The thing is how many boxes could they sell in League 1?

I'd rather spend it on a player than waste it on polishing a turd. The county ground needs proper redevelopment so any money spent on the Stratton bank is dead money really, given ultimately 3 stands would be demolished.

If putting a roof on brings in sponsorship, opens new revenue opportunities or somehow reduces cost then that would be great. Otherwise don't bother.

Clearly we don't, and probably won't, know the reasoning behind any decisions that the board take on the ground, but I would give them the benefit of the doubt to the point of assuming that, if they did put a roof on the bank, they would have some sound business reasoning behing it. 

I do like the idea of pushing the DRS back a bit though.  "On 3 lads..."

Thought the only was they was going to put a rood on SB would be if they could get it sponsored so the materials etc did not cost the club any money which I think would be a good plan if that is the case

As much as the question itself was ludicrous, the entire stand was of a modular design to allow it to be moved should we need to in the future or have a redesign.  It's one of the reasons it went up so quickly.  Similar to Notts County's 3 sides IIRC.

I'd imagine you'd not want to be spending 7 figure sums just to get a few extra inches though.  The trees out the back were protected in the planning consent so we can't really push too much further back anyway.

The boxes would be placed in and a few rows easily removed (it's just a series of concrete slabs fitted together on the steel frame).  Don't imagine it would cost too much in the grand scheme of things, probably pay itself back within a few years and as you'd loan the capital you'd see immediate revenue improvements.  We didn't have the cash when we built it as it was pretty much funded by a Football Trust grant, but it's odd that nobody has bothered to do anything with it, even sticking in some basic corporate suites in the upper concourse for example.

Yep, pretty much spot on..

If the Stratton Bank had a roof on it, I think it would be better as a home stand. I like the idea of having both stands behind the goal for home fans only, and also I think the potential for noise with a roof is pretty decent! Not sure what we'd do with large away followings though..

Did they try to put a roof on the Stratton Bank before, sometime in the mid nineties when we built the DRS?
I seem to remember the original plan rejected, but a revised plan with a lower roof accepted eventually, but by then we had no money to do it...

This was the original plan in 1994 when the Intel Stand was built...

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v308/legodcuervo/the%20county%20ground/model3.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/legodcuervo/media/the%20county%20ground/model3.jpg.html)

Exactly which is what I was referring to and asking about the options we have. It's also ludicrous to have a football pitch that moves in to the stadium being grown outside the stadium, but it happens. 

That's pretty cool. Where did you find it? I wonder how different the accepted proposal was with the lower roof. A stand like the one in that photo as the new Town End would be good.

Just to save all the hassle, just build a lot of VIP boxes/roof on Stratton bank and use the room in the corner. Leave the Don Rogers alone.
Simple.

They've got a similar setup here at Loftus Road, 5 rows in front of the boxes and the main stand behind.

Seems a lot going on this week
Town end having bar done as we speak plus a lot of other changes in addition to the seats being added



The roof saga dragging on though - the washbag bought it up again last night


Nice to see something positive being done around the ground

(http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111115185814/bbcfawltytowers/images/2/22/Mr._O%27Reilly.jpg)

"Lick of paint, another lick of paint"  :)

Cant be any worse than current PA

The PA system has been shit for years.

Played a character called wobbley in a short run series called cowboys with Roy Kinnear.

One simple fix the club should do is make sure all the floodlight bulbs work! Currently nearly half don't work and it would be good to watch the Chelsea game under the lights on full power!

Jed and Geordie are shimmying up the floodlight gantries, each with a bag of new bulbs, as we speak.

The pic is of Mr O'Reilly from fawlty towers

The floodlight bulbs, or lack of have been a long standing bugbear of mine...here's a classic little thread from 7 years back on th e subject...

http://thetownend.com/index.php?topic=16066.0

I believe he also played the one armed washer upper in Robin's Nest.

All 3 correct.

Albert  ;)

Robins nest, a real blast from the past.

Also played one of the characters in Waking Ned

Isn't it! bloody terrible programme too!

I think floodlight bulbs are bloomin expense I'm sure I was told that a few years ago that is why only a few are ever replaced and there is always ones that have not been done

Floodlights have been repaired.

Long way down from there

Any further news re: town end bar? Hope this is ready for Saturday... :beers:

Braver man than me, but at least Jed can see where the missing ladder went - PDC didn't take it, just threw it on the shed roof!!

Reg will be pleased.

Impossible.

Good job! Wouldn't catch me up there I'm far to chicken shit for heights! Was it just bulb replacements or entire light units? Read on another forum that the floodlights were put on the back burner in the past due to costs. Maybe I'm just out of touch but when players being sold for £300,000 are a few bulbs for floodlights really that expensive? Not fishing just genuinely interested.  On a side note a Reading fan on another forum took a photo from top of a floodlight over Stratton Bank as dawn was breaking. An impressive yet pointless achievement!

Does anybody know why the front enclosure of the north stand which was added in the 90's does not go the full length of the stand.it looks unfinished and bugs me.

Pretty sure at the time were 2 brick sheds/buildings - one each end of stand
One near TE is/was a disabled toilet one by bank was groundstaff

TBH cant remember if still there as not took any notice

Yeah there are things underneath which block it.

The one by the bank is the laundry - Roger's empire!!  By the TE is a water container, disabled toilets and underneath the stand is a workshop, that space could be utilised if Jed/Geordie so wished!  At the side of the Arkells is the first aid room and nearer the pitch is another workshop/store

Take the seats out of the TE and make it a terrace again.

so for the sake of a brick shed and an oversized water butt we did not build the front enclosure the full length of stand.we used to be so tin pot  :no:

'cough' safe standing 'cough'

If/when we get to the championship we'd only have to put seating back in after a few years.

Better still, knock the fucking shed down and build a new stand instead of going backwards by putting in a terrace.

This.

Better still build a new stand with terracing

Noone sits in the TE anyway
All seaters have killed the atmosphere in grounds IMHO

Ought to build a smaller version of the holte end and have seats in the upper bit and safe standing in the bottom.

Better get the buckets out Saturday to pay for all these schemes

I remember the days two ppl used to walk around the ground for various good causes with a sheet held up encouraging you to throw coins

Double post but meh

From the fingers of Jed

The term 'executive box' is great isn't it. The implication being that anyone special enough to inhabit them makes decisions at work and is really rather important, when it's really people on a work jolly, or a stag do, paying a lot more for some warmth and beer.

More like paying more for warm beer.

hey! don't forget the "padded" seats

Just wanted to post a note of caution on these ground developments really.  While I think that sticking some extra seats in is sensible, you do have to question the cost of it, now if they had these seats lying around spare, then great, but if they have had to buy them and pay to get them fitted, then if each seat cost £150 say, then are we have to fill them at least 6 times (ignoring concessions) before we are into profit, how long will that take, City have sold out their allocation for the so those extra seats in the bank don't count.  Now if I was being cynical you could say that as they are unlikely to start doing any decent redevelopment that at some point they will turn a profit on those seats so why worry.

I don't quite know if I am being a bit uncharitable, and should be glad that they're doing something.

Also as I've not been in the Town End since the 80's is there enough room for say 750-1000 people to stand inside it having a beer and watching Sky??   

Fuck a duck, I know it's bad, but smoking area! Whooo hoo. That is brilliant. I don't smoke in the ground, but also i'm in at 2.59 and out 1 min after full time, so that works for both me and the club.

Reading between the lines on Jedwards tweets I get the impression he thinks the CG is too quiet and the TE ought to be making more noise.
If chucking a bar in persuades stay aways or those that have switched to DRS to get back in the TE well its not a bad thing
As a home end it can be deafeningly quiet most games.

Even big games can be flat.
Used to have a decent sound when the shrivvy and TE were back and forward.

On the subject of noise I hope the South Stand makes some effort tomorrow. The Arkells has been a lost cause for years but the SS was decent last couple of seasons. Turned into the Arkells this season though.

You obviously don't sit in the Drs if you are out in 1 min

I swap  stands but if I'm in the drs it's normally a swan dive over the side and i'm lighting up as I spin.

Sitting in row Y I use to shut the gate on the way out

Nazi

Have they my arse!

I don't know about Bars. They need to change the billboard on the back of the town end.

The one with Ferry, Ritchie and Devera.

According to the bloke sat next to me, the club have planning permission to put a roof over the bank....

Wasn't a fisherman was he?

Oh no they haven't!

Don Rogers seems to think so.

Ooh you tease.

The only application relating to the bank since 1990 is for the new stand in 93 which is still on the Councils books as never determined or withdrawn?

Do we really need to go over this again? Clearly the board have some kind of plan to submit an application for a roof on the Bank in process (which they regard as "have submitted a planning application"), but as yet, it's not yet reached the stage of having been formally lodged with the council in a way the council themselves would regard as a formal planning application. Probably at some intermediate stage of being discussed with council officers so it can be properly shaped when it is formally submitted.

Is this whole "they're lying to us" debate based on that single statement made at the business plan meeting that a roof for the Bank was "in planning".

If so that statement is open to a number of interpretations isn't it? From "we're thinking through the numbers internally", through "we're working with architects on the design" to "we've submitted a formal planning application to the council".

I've been assuming that a few people, who at the time were looking for any reason to suggest that the board were trying to pull the wool over our eyes about everything, chose to interpret it as the latter so that they could point and yell "liars".

Is there more to it than that?

Agree. When Jed & Co took over everyone (myself included) thought they were a complete bunch of cowboys. It's taken time but that image is slowly being eroded away by (Jeds twitter and fan interaction aside) on the whole some very professional conduct based around sound financial planning within the club.

Aren't we passed this stage now of presumptuous criticism? Let's see what happens and judge after eh?!

Ok I'll expand. The bloke who sits next to me is NOT Don Rogers. He is however an honest sort of bloke who does not come across as a wind up twat.

His mate was in Dons shop recently. Don apparently cannot speak highly enough of the new board and to be fair and equitable who has had any real cause to argue Dons praise so far? Don either mentioned it in passing or maybe stated it as fact, either way clearly Jed and Co are not waiting for the gras to grow under their feet.

I'm only passing on a third hand conversation. I take no responsibility for others "information" but it is in our interests for me to pass on what I hear, as many of you would. FWIW do not doubt that sooner rather than later there will be roof over the bank.....

If anybody read's Jed's notes in last night's programme it stated that the club are still putting together drawings for possible submission to the council in regards to the Stratton Bank.  Hardly up for planning permission or having obtained planning permission I would think!  And yes, the business meeting did state that they had applied for planning permission.

Just to clarify this (and give Jed the beenfit of the doubt) he stated that he had signed the cheque off last week (I think). They may have lodged formally everything they need to, but it can take LPA's an age to actually validate and acknowledge (speaking as someone who has to deal with the ridiculous antic of Councils when trying to lodge planning applications on a daily basis) the things.

As and when its validated we can all comments and the residents of Shrivvy Road can all object.

Some dude reckons booze was sold in the Town End without a license on Saturday..

I highly doubt that. Most licenses refer to 'the premises', so, whilst I know little about the way the football club is licensed, it's likely the license covers the whole ground, as it is arguable the whole ground is part of 'the premises'.

I would have thought that the County Ground would be considered a single premises, with a single licence. A hotel or pub wouldn't need to apply for a new licence if it had an internal remodel and moved a bar, or opened a new one would it?

I'd like it to be retractable, ideally, for when the Pox visit

Keep the roof on and run the sprinklers all game, they'd never know the difference.

So to summarise, you know we've applied for planning permission because a friend of a bloke you sit near heard it from Don Rogers who, while an excellent fellow in many regards, is not widely known for having the inside track on SBC planning matters. You're like a redevelopment Chang aren't you? :)

Nah, put the whole stand on hydraulics so we can tip them out the back

Or a bear pit under the stand.

On a different note, the floodlights did seem to be brighter than usual. Perhaps they did put some new bulbs in!

That reminds me of one of the bits that was a bit annoying last night - those illuminated advertising hoardings are way too bright, couldn't see ball/players when they were in front of them. Not noticed it before but then I think it's the first time they've had them on at a night game? They're really nice and smart and all that and I can well understand they're great from a revenue point of view, but they could definitely do with a dimmer switch.

We do sit right opposite them in the DRS so may only be a problem from where we're sat as we're directly in line?

They weren't selling it in the Town End last night. I hope there hasn't been a boo-boo somewhere along the line.

The commentator on sky last night commented on how poor the floodlights are/were actually now you mention it.

 :D

Oh right. I though they were definitely brighter than usual.


Did you notice that they turned the brightness down in the 2nd half? Also, the brightness on the big screen. Sky must've complained!

Or they got Windows 98 to finally work

No I didn't but now you mention it, I remember being annoyed by it in the first half and don't remember it at all in the second half. You'd have thought my brain might have made that connection by itself. Apparently not.  :doh:

Or you were on the beer at half time  :)

Sadly no. I'm just a genuine bloody idiot

Reasons being spouted around for the lack of alcohol in the town end

1. Opened without a licence for Bristol City, club wasn't aware that you actually need a licence for each stand and not just the stadium

2. No fire exit, health and safety

3. People smoking inside and taking their drinks back to their seats so police shut it down

No idea how many and which of them are true.

:toocool: :toocool: :toocool: :toocool: :toocool: :toocool: :toocool: :toocool: :toocool: :toocool: :toocool: :D

Tranmere fan?

Haha I thought that too

2, Yeah deffo no fire exit and we did say v Shitty that H&S would have a field day - most of that stewarding issues as far too many in there at once

3. Did see ppl take drinks back to where they were stood - smoking is nothing to do with bar tho as smoking area seperate issue
I smoked in the TE for donkeys years and the fucker is still there
 ::)

It was a bit brighter than usual and from where I stood in The Town End you could clearly see the floodlight on The Arkells side of Stratton Bank had been improved.  The DR side floodlight on SB still had 5 bulbs out so can understand why Sky would think it poor compared to what they are used to in The EPL.

I thought the floodlights looked a lot brighter....I did notice halfway through the first half that the advertising boards were shut down, when they came back on they weren't as bright...

Also the big TV in the corner looks good...I hope they use it to show the game/replays at League/Non-Televised games too!

I've seen people last couple of games taking their beer back to their seat in their seat in the DR also

Is the roof still on ???  :doh:


And in reply to a town end revamp

And


Town end has never been full on a regular basis as 1, the view is awful 2, facilities are ancient and 3 no atmosphere unless its a big game

and too expensive compared with the Arkells/Don Rogers.

If the stand was replaced then more would go in it!

The Town End has barely changed in 50 years, bar the bolting on of seats to the terrace floor.  (If anyone thinks that is an exaggeration, take a look at the scene approx 10 mins in to 'Six Days to Saturday', shot 50 years ago this month, where the groundsman and an accomplice walk around the Town End with an air rifle taking pot shots at pigeons.  It is completely recognisable as the same stand in use today.)

As a result, it's crap.  The design is from another era.  The roof is far too low and the sight lines are awful.  A decently redeveloped Town End would work wonders for the ground.  Don't buy Jed's argument on this occasion at all.  And it's nearly full most of the time anyway.

Nah its nowhere near full
I usually stand in the TE unless its a non entity game where atmosphere will be totally dead, Half closest to the DRS gets pretty full but from tunnel to towards arkells in barely 25% full most games ( unless a big game )

And thats really visible from the DRS

Agreed to stand needs replacing tho - I only go in there as its the stand have always gone in bar time spent in the shrivvy, and its the closest to terracing you can get these days.
But if I was a new fan looking to visit the CG, the TE would be the last place I would choose to go.

TV has made a generation of ppl looking for a prem experience even at a lower lg club
And the TE is a million miles from that

The crux of the matter is that to replace the stand is probably £4-5m+ miniumum and whilst this may give an opportunity to incorporate additional facilities that pay on more than 25 days a year the simple truth is the price of admission is only likely to go up. if people won't pay for it now I cannot see them paying more when the view is never going to be better than from a side stand.

Visually, the ground looks a bit distorted, there are two good size stands to the sides, an open terrace with seats bolted on that is rarely used, and a home end which is pretty small. The whole ground would get a lift from the TE being rebuilt, so at least the roof height matches the side stands. Something like the Pompey home end but a bit smaller would be good

Its not always that ppl wont pay the price now its the state of the stand for that price

Behind the goal is old school I guess and maybe everyone prefers to sit in the side stands sans atmosphere for the view
Suppose I am a bit of a dinosaur then in that I prefer behind the goal.

IF the bank - or part of it - with a roof on is given to home fans the amount of fans in the TE will only drop further tho would make sense for that to be for away fans
Personally would give the away fans the bank and bugger all else even without a roof
Works for the pikies

Your cost estimate is probably not far off (given that the Don Rogers/Intel Stand cost £1.8m to build 20 years ago).  But sooner or later it's a cost that will have to be swallowed.  You can only go on sweating an asset like the Town End for so long before it starts to fall apart completely...and I don't that point can be very far away now.  The Town End is knackered and well past its 'replace by' date already.

Interesting arguments here.  I am old enough to remember queuing for the TE every game, and most weeks it was rocking, people being pushed through the turnstiles and everybody being ordered to move up as another 1000 wanted to get in!!  For at least a season the TE was given to away fans only, who manged to create more atmosphere than the rest of the ground put together.  I guess the low roof adds to the acoustics, something that would probably be lost if it is redeveloped.  Interesting that Jed talks of exciting news about redevelopment when we were told they had applied for planning permission before the season had even kicked off!!

To be fair it does at least have 4 sides...

You can pretty much guarantee, that if SBC decide the TE is no longer fit for purpose, they'll close it down and it will stay closed.

The original TE was paid for by money raised by the fans....it will probably take something similar to happen for there to a replacement any time soon.

I dont think anyone is looking for a 4/5000 seater stand to be put up as that would never get filled so doesnt have to be a real high stand/roof.
The town end was designed for terracing so has a very low rise from front to back which doesnt give the best view of the far end of the pitch but generates a decent sound.
Rovrums is the opposite being real steep from front to back which didnt give a bad view tbf  ( for behind the goal and a new stand) and still generated noise as the roof wasnt massively high.

There are a lot of grants available from the FA to assist, not sure what the ratios are but it is quite generous.

I think if the council didn't own the land we would have more investors and more hope of developing the ground.

SBC have always been bastards about the ground.

There was a time in the early 90's, when there were plenty of grants kicking around for upgrades, and new grounds....which is how we ended up with the DRS, and plans for a similar structure on the Bank.

No idea what the situation is like today....if as you say they're generous, why haven't we done something with the Bank and TE?

Perhaps but what sort of investors?

Oddly enough, whilst owning its own ground has helped some clubs finance Bowl moves (yippee), it has enabled directors to secure their loans on the Ground, allowed the clubs to get even deeper in debt and left clubs  eventually without a ground

I'll miss the Town End if/when it goes. I still use it and enjoy it as a home-end terrace, and from my 'seat' can see unobscured the whole of the goal, the penalty spot and all four corner flags. I know it is a rare occasion, but a full Town End for a meaningful fixture can't be beat. Any new Town End would have to be pretty special to improve my match-day experience. I bet pre-Kassam Pox fans pine for the London Road.

If the council didn't own the land, Diamandis would have flogged the whole lot off and we wouldn't have a ground. The council at the time of the Shaw Tip debacle were more than happy to flog it all off to him, but fortunately the next incumbents were "bastards" in that they insisted they would work with the *right* partners, and so scuppered the illegal and unworkable schemes then being proposed. Be very careful what you wish for.