Trust look to buy the CG

[Boy About Town]

Fair enough, in which case assuming those are across the length of the stand I expect there won’t be far off a four figure capacity reduction…

It will be four figures easily and they will face the pitch. It’s a lot of money. The infrastructure of that stand would need massive upgrades. Wouldn’t surprise me if they take hospitality out of Arkells if it’s ever completed.

[Dr Pierre Chang]

Seems a shame to reduce capacity in our best stand, but what do I know!

At least the criminal element will be able to watch us in luxury.

[RobertT]

Caveat - I am not suggesting I support the proposal!

I think fans have a tendency to look at this type of development the wrong way.  As a business, the football club currently has limited options when it comes to increasing revenue.  They cannot sell more "product" in the way we think about it, which is match days.  The League limits us to 23 games per season, and we might get a cup game or two added on or a friendly.  We do not attract sufficient crowds, currently, to put the top capacity at risk.  Therefore, ticket revenue has a ceiling - made worse by the cash flow challenge of being closed for two whole months.

I fully understand that a shift needs to occur - what the business does have is a lot of square footage available, that it pays a tiny fraction of the going commercial rent rate for.  It should be in a position to sweat far more of that asset than it does today.  Looking through some accounts, we bring in less revenue per spectator than a lot of clubs of our size, or smaller.  Essentially, we earn far less because our Revenue disproportionally comes from the paying spectator.

Hall is a fucking idiot - he saw the pure ticket revenue and thought that was the problem - it isn't.  We earn about the same per ticket as other clubs.  Where the other ones outstrip our budgets is when you add in the additional money - that is either coming from a club that sells its brand and events space more effectively, or has owners chucking in equity or sponsorship.  We can't get the latter two, but we can control our own destiny on the first two.

[Frigby Daser]

Does anyone know which fans will be displaced? Are the proposals right at the back of the DRS, or half way up, leaving some seats above the boxes? I assume it’s the former.

I can see this both ways. They need better facilities for “corporate” (if you can call it that) matchday experiences and events. What we have is like an immersive nostalgia trip. So that part makes sense. It’s simply that there is other stuff that would make the ground look and feel better, like having a functioning, aesthetically pleasing fourth stand.

I’m also torn on whether to vote in favour. Some progress is better than none. Boxes are better than no boxes. But I also have zero faith in them being done properly, as no credible contractor will work when they know there’s a good chance they won’t get paid, or will get threatened with a broken kneecap by the has-been chubby drug lord when the costs inevitably overrun.

[theakston2k]

Whatever the plans say I hope there’s a high level phased build plan contained with the proposals. Considering the only steps to the upper tier are from the bottom concourse, plonking some boxes in between is surely going to interrupt this access and likely mean new stairs are required. It would be entirely possible under these clowns that the entire upper section of the DRS is closed during the work.

[Frigby Daser]

It’ll be interesting to see how building methods have progressed in the 31 years since the stand was built. They built it in one summer and opened for the second weekend of the season (I think).

[RobertT]

I can see this both ways. They need better facilities for “corporate” (if you can call it that) matchday experiences and events. What we have is like an immersive nostalgia trip. So that part makes sense. It’s simply that there is other stuff that would make the ground look and feel better, like having a functioning, aesthetically pleasing fourth stand.

You see, it is not really the matchday use that would make this a viable and worthwhile effort - it is creating useable hospitality and retail space that can earn revenue outside of matchdays.  Who the fuck would book the Legends Lounge for a Wedding for example, or even the lounger upstairs?  Not least because it's impossible to do so with any great ease, but it's just not really fit for purpose.  This is why I think you'd ideally want a mix of facilities built in - you have to think about selling meeting spaces, drop in office space for rent, more retail space (one piddly shop is all we have), event spaces, a proper bar, and so on.

The idea is OK.

The delivery of the Fanzone suggests we should be worried.

[Jimmy Quinn]

Several years ago there was even talk of hosting top Rugby Union matches here.

[RobertT]

It’ll be interesting to see how building methods have progressed in the 31 years since the stand was built. They built it in one summer and opened for the second weekend of the season (I think).

Yes - prefab.  It is basically a steel support structure with long rows of prefabbed concrete slotted in and a concrete floor (the upstairs concourse).  I know it's still not easy to do any type of construction work, but the design was simple to allow for work to be done in the future - still costly and time consuming.  The sad fact is we have done next to no work since that construction period.  No fit out, other than the room at the far end which has seen a few uses over the years.

[Batch]

It will be four figures easily and they will face the pitch. It’s a lot of money. The infrastructure of that stand would need massive upgrades. Wouldn’t surprise me if they take hospitality out of Arkells if it’s ever completed.

Wonder which rows will disappear..

[UTR]

Wasn’t there talk of it being a block of rows just above where the split of the lower and upper section of seating is? Just above the steps.

Could be wrong

[Batch]

Yeah, I'm dangerously close to it!

[theakston2k]

Wasn’t there talk of it being a block of rows just above where the split of the lower and upper section of seating is? Just above the steps.

Could be wrong

You can see it in this photo. The concrete terracing below the second story roof beam would be removed and box inserted in its place. Looks like at least half a dozen rows would be lost.

[Boy About Town]

Wasn’t there talk of it being a block of rows just above where the split of the lower and upper section of seating is? Just above the steps.

Could be wrong

This. On another thread I did upload some pictures.

[Power to people]

My concern would be given the track record of the Legends - surely that must have been planned - is it ends up a bodge job and just a mess.

Is it short sighted to reduce the capacity of the ground ? even if this is with an eye for hosting events in the future, surely IF the club had any success in the the future and went up leagues then then the capacity is limited, who knows when or if there will be a redevelopment.

My concern would be is it the club that decides on builders, fitters etc and agrees costs and pays invoices or qould they be invoicing the JV for the funds ?