Stadium Redevelopment Gathers Momentum

[jonny72]

Have they given any indication as to the scale of the redevelopment? Especially, if they are hoping to include the cricket pitch and county ground extension in the plans, maybe for retail and residential?

[Talk Talk]

Have they given any indication as to the scale of the redevelopment? Especially, if they are hoping to include the cricket pitch and county ground extension in the plans, maybe for retail and residential?

Not a chance.

[jonny72]

Not a chance.

There must be a chance of sorts as they have talked in the past of rotating the pitch 90 degrees, which would only be possible by extending over the cricket pitch. Unless they demolished the south stand and built a new one further back, which isn't going to happen.

I'm sure the current board were talking of residential development, where would that go if not on the surrounding land?

[pauld]

As TT says, the only way you'd be able to include those would be as part of a sports complex - ie the athletics/cricket club/extension would have to stay pretty much as is (albeit improve the athletics track, and some scope to move round the athletics track and extension if needed) but could be incorporated into a larger sports/leisure complex. But unless things have shifted very significantly in the past 18 months or so (and I've seen no sign they have), they won't be building on them

[STFC_Gazza]

There must be a chance of sorts as they have talked in the past of rotating the pitch 90 degrees, which would only be possible by extending over the cricket pitch. Unless they demolished the south stand and built a new one further back, which isn't going to happen.

I'm sure the current board were talking of residential development, where would that go if not on the surrounding land?

THAT was the old board..... They also thought the council would give them £50M for free build the thing

[Sippo]

Does anyone know if there any cliff's around and not the puffett type.

Unusual ground I've been to:

[url width=640 height=480]http://www001.upp.so-net.ne.jp/takebou/img_0215.jpg[/url]

I was actually at that game pictured.

[nevillew]

Does anyone know if there any cliff's around and not the puffett type.

Unusual ground I've been to:

[url width=640 height=480]http://www001.upp.so-net.ne.jp/takebou/img_0215.jpg[/url]

I was actually at that game pictured.

That stadium rocks.

[Spy]

Does anyone know if there any cliff's around and not the puffett type.

Unusual ground I've been to:

[url width=640 height=480]http://www001.upp.so-net.ne.jp/takebou/img_0215.jpg[/url]

I was actually at that game pictured.

That is fucking cool. Must be great acoustics too.

[Sippo]

That stadium rocks.

The game was ended like a cliff hanger though.

[BANGKOK RED]

Puns asides, that stadium is fucking brilliant.

[jonny72]

But unless things have shifted very significantly in the past 18 months or so (and I've seen no sign they have), they won't be building on them

What are the issues with including them with the redevelopment?

Is it just that the council wouldn't allow it, would providing replacement facilities elsewhere be acceptable?

Fitton definitely talked about residential development, so where is he planning to put it?

[Sippo]

Puns asides, that stadium is fucking brilliant.

Its weird to get to. You have to track up hill to get to it, and all the concourses are above ground, so at the top of the stand. You have to go down three flights of stairs to get to the bottom levels of the stands.

This is the other view from the cliff side:

[url width=320 height=240]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_J9NbOTMAqkM/Rd6jNcPrO2I/AAAAAAAAABc/3yuaezoF_6M/s320/braga+stadium.jpg[/url]

The ground holds around 25k.

[Talk Talk]

What are the issues with including them with the redevelopment?

Is it just that the council wouldn't allow it, would providing replacement facilities elsewhere be acceptable?

Fitton definitely talked about residential development, so where is he planning to put it?

The most sensible approach:

http://www.truststfc.co.uk/CG_main.php

http://www.truststfc.co.uk/pdf/SwindonCommunitySportsHub.pdf

[Spy]

Its weird to get to. You have to track up hill to get to it, and all the concourses are above ground, so at the top of the stand. You have to go down three flights of stairs to get to the bottom levels of the stands.

This is the other view from the cliff side:

[url width=320 height=240]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_J9NbOTMAqkM/Rd6jNcPrO2I/AAAAAAAAABc/3yuaezoF_6M/s320/braga+stadium.jpg[/url]

The ground holds around 25k.

So one end is open? There's only 2 stands? That's a shame..

[pauld]

What are the issues with including them with the redevelopment?

Is it just that the council wouldn't allow it, would providing replacement facilities elsewhere be acceptable?

There's several issues. In relation the cricket club/athletics track, it's all very well saying "Oh well we'll move them somewhere else" but there's the small matter of whether they want to move. Certainly the cricket club have been quite vehement that they very much value their current central location, for all the same reasons why we value having the football club in that location. They'd need some persuading to give that up. Then there's the question of where you'd put replacement facilities with commensurate ease of access, (presumably) upgraded facilities/more land etc as a sweetener etc etc without incurring such exorbitant costs in buying land, rebuilds etc that it would render the whole exercise prohibitively expensive. I'm not saying it's impossible, but it's a lot more difficult (and expensive) than just airily saying "Oh, well, we'll just move them".

On the question of the extension, there's serious planning issues around the provision of green space in the central area. IIRC, the wards that make up the central area are already seriously underprovisioned in terms of open green space in accordance with local/regional planning guidelines. Again, this can't just be brushed aside and as the issue is around the provision of green space in a much narrower area, it's very difficult to see where else in the central area land could be made available to provide substitute green space should the CG extension be built on.

Fitton definitely talked about residential development, so where is he planning to put it?

I've not seen any such quote, tbh. Be interested to see if you could dig it out. But assuming he did say such a thing, I'd imagine it would be along the lines of "We'd look at all the options including residential/commercial/leisure/hotels/casinos/hyper-brothels" rather than "We're definitely going to build 800 houses on the County Ground and you can all fucking lump it".

Oh, and the rotating the pitch 90 degrees was the old board, not Fitton.