Gloucester City's New Stadium Plans 'Close To Collapse'

[The Mayor Of Simpleton]

http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/Gloucester-City-s-proposed-plans-new-stadium/story-18255972-detail/story.html#axzz2LlN6Ogtx

 

Mixed emotions over this.

 

Gloucester City need a new stadium in Gloucester as soon as possible, but the plans to build a new stadium on the site of the old Meadow Park were simply ludicrous in my opinion.

 

The land at Sudmeadow (where Meadow Park is) is still prone to flooding and nearby properties cannot get insurance for flooding. I am guessing that insurance on the land is a sticking point with the plans and Eamonn McGurk and co need to drop the Sudmeadow idea.

 

The options we have are:

 

1) Building in the Railway Triangle - ideal as this land is now being built on (Morrisons plan on moving in there shortly), so a new stadium there on brown field land would be ideal. Near the city centre and I am sure Morrisons would welcome the passing trade.

 

2) Naas Lane/Waterwells - situated south of the city next to the A38. A bit 'out of town' but there is suitable land to develop and there are commercial developments nearby.

 

3) Site of the current Gloucester Jail and rear car park at Gloucester Docks - this would be the most central location for a stadium, just yards from the city centre and Fountain Inn (one of the top pubs in Gloucester) as well as Gloucester Docks and the Quays Shopping Centre/Nandos and Pizza Express.

 

4) Next to Junction 12 of the M5 - there is development land to build on, but might be too far from the city centre for some.

 

5) Kingsholm Stadium - although the rugby fans have mainly said no to football being played on hallowed rugby turf.

 

Whatever happens, Gloucester City URGENTLY need to get the new stadium sorted. Cheltenham Town have been great with helping us out so far (even if we have to cough up £25k in rent p/a) but now is the time for us to seriously think about moving back home and planning our assault on The Football League. Even if we have to step back into The Southern League next season (which has been talked about) I am hopeful that one day Gloucester will be home to a Football League side.

[Eastside Urchin]

Who pays for this?

[missunderstood]

Five million pounds for a new stadium that Gloucester may not even be able to afford the upkeep on, or twenty-five grand a year to ground-share with Cheltenham. If it was my club I would keep the five million in the bank and finance the club with some of the interest.

[The Mayor Of Simpleton]

Financially, that does make sense Alan.

 

However, I was told today in no uncertain terms by a fan close to Eamonn McGurk (Club Owner) and Nigel Hughes (Club Chairman) respectively that we can only play at Cheltenham for a few more years and that the new stadium in Gloucester quote: 'MUST happen by 2015/2016 or McGurk will walk away.'

 

The Council have copped a lot of flak for this - waiting three years to state the damn obvious about the land being unsuitable to build on, but they have also said that there is 'a lot of fault on McGurk's part' and that his plans 'lacked clarity'. McGurk has said it is Sudmeadow or bust, and I am beginning to think that unless we get a good investor on board by December we can look forward to moving down to the Hellenic and ground-share with Slimbridge.

 

Gloucester Rugby have said no to Gloucester City ground-sharing at Kingsholm as well... it could only happen with us!

[missunderstood]

Financially, that does make sense Alan.

 

However, I was told today in no uncertain terms by a fan close to Eamonn McGurk (Club Owner) and Nigel Hughes (Club Chairman) respectively that we can only play at Cheltenham for a few more years and that the new stadium in Gloucester quote: 'MUST happen by 2015/2016 or McGurk will walk away.'

 

The Council have copped a lot of flak for this - waiting three years to state the damn obvious about the land being unsuitable to build on, but they have also said that there is 'a lot of fault on McGurk's part' and that his plans 'lacked clarity'. McGurk has said it is Sudmeadow or bust, and I am beginning to think that unless we get a good investor on board by December we can look forward to moving down to the Hellenic and ground-share with Slimbridge.

 

Gloucester Rugby have said no to Gloucester City ground-sharing at Kingsholm as well... it could only happen with us!

 

If the land is so unsuitable its difficult to understand why the club should wish to build on it, and why anyone should blame the council. Its also equally difficult to imagine what a so called investor will get out of helping any non league club and how they would get any return on their money, or more realistically the probability they will never see any of it again.

 

The unpalatable truth is that most non league clubs contribute nothing to the community apart from giving a few hundred supporters the opportunity to watch a game on a Saturday afternoon and nearly all expect sponsors, council taxpayers, local businesses etc to give them something for nothing and few have the wit or imagination to generate the money needed themselves.

[The Mayor Of Simpleton]

With Gloucester City, there would be at least some chance of an investor making a return if/when the club reached the Football League.

 

The club, to be fair, do participate in a lot of community activities but they are also being led by blinkered businessmen whom all believe they are 'ex cathedra' in the way they run the club. I recently asked Nigel (Hughes) and Colin (Peake) about alternative sites, and they said 'no, no it HAS to be Sudmeadow.' They've put their eggs in one basket, and are now well and truly scrambled.

 

The problem is finding land on which to build on, as most of the land here has been set aside for supermarkets (we must have 15 large supermarkets here already!) or housing. When Lower Hempsted was developed, that land could have easily supported a 15-20,000 stadium. Instead, the powers-that-be and the club dawdled and there are now 1,000 new homes there. Hardwick too would have been ideal, but that instead went for housing and short of getting Richard Graham MP to fight for a new stadium in the Railway Triangle or at Junction 12 of the M5 I can see us down at Slimbridge/Tuffley very soon and dropping three/four leagues.

 

From the A38 roundabout north of Junction 12 of the M5 to the City Centre, it is all housing/industrial/commercial land either side. The land by Naas Lane (adjacent to the Bristol-Gloucester railway line) is already earmarked for MORE housing and light industrial units which will soon be joined to Tuffley. Gloucester's population by 2016 is going to be well over 165,000 and there is a real risk of us being the only major UK city without a football club with Gloucester in its name.

 

Housing and Supermarkets are okay, but Football Clubs aren't.

[missunderstood]

With Gloucester City, there would be at least some chance of an investor making a return if/when the club reached the Football League.

 

The club, to be fair, do participate in a lot of community activities but they are also being led by blinkered businessmen whom all believe they are 'ex cathedra' in the way they run the club. I recently asked Nigel (Hughes) and Colin (Peake) about alternative sites, and they said 'no, no it HAS to be Sudmeadow.' They've put their eggs in one basket, and are now well and truly scrambled.

 

The problem is finding land on which to build on, as most of the land here has been set aside for supermarkets (we must have 15 large supermarkets here already!) or housing. When Lower Hempsted was developed, that land could have easily supported a 15-20,000 stadium. Instead, the powers-that-be and the club dawdled and there are now 1,000 new homes there. Hardwick too would have been ideal, but that instead went for housing and short of getting Richard Graham MP to fight for a new stadium in the Railway Triangle or at Junction 12 of the M5 I can see us down at Slimbridge/Tuffley very soon and dropping three/four leagues.

 

From the A38 roundabout north of Junction 12 of the M5 to the City Centre, it is all housing/industrial/commercial land either side. The land by Naas Lane (adjacent to the Bristol-Gloucester railway line) is already earmarked for MORE housing and light industrial units which will soon be joined to Tuffley. Gloucester's population by 2016 is going to be well over 165,000 and there is a real risk of us being the only major UK city without a football club with Gloucester in its name.

 

Housing and Supermarkets are okay, but Football Clubs aren't.

 

I would have thought that decent affordable housing is far more beneficial to the local community than a football ground, which is something any immediate neighbours would be unanimously against, and supermarkets provide much needed employment.

 

MPs rarely have any influence over council policy especially when the MP also represents the party of government because there is always a conflict of interest when governments make cuts that invariably effect councillors ability to get re-elected and keep their noses firmly in the trough. They do though love to walk around in the clubs colours at election time as they think it makes them look like "one of us" or one of the boys.

 

I spent almost a year of my life trying to find the money to finance a new stadium and know how sole destroying and difficult it is, made worse by delusional supporters expecting something for nothing and failing to understand that millionaires are not queuing up to throw money at their club.

[krobbo92]

www.afcwimbledon.co.uk/news/article/stadium-update-feb-28-685212.aspx - talking about stadiums Wimbledon plan to upgrade their facilities with a new stadium also