Dartford

[Paul H]

From kentonline

 

ECSTATIC football fans wept with joy and elation after it was revealed Dartford Football Club will return home after 13 years of exile.

 

At a Civic Centre meeting on Wednesday night, applause rippled across the council chamber as officials agreed to bring the Darts back to the town.

 

The new stadium at Princes Park will cost £6.5million to build and should be completed ready for the opening match of the 2006/07 season.

 

It will house 5,000 fans and will include a club house, function rooms, a bar, a community pitch, public plaza and gardens.

 

One Darts FC fan, Gregg Keattch, said: "This is fantastic news. This is not just good for the fans and the players but for the borough as a whole. The sleeping giants are awake."

 

Cllr Jeremy Kite, deputy leader of Dartford council, said: "It seems appropriate to say I am over the moon.

 

"When we set out to bring the Darts home we said we wanted a first class facility that would be easily accessible, well-served by public transport and of service to the local community.

 

"I’m delighted to say that the new Princes Park will meet these requirements and the stadium will be the perfect place for entertainment, leisure, sports and business."

 

 

Fantastic for Dartford.

 

Lets hope we get the green light for the commercial side of things.

[jkmaskell]

That is very good news for Dartford.

 

After having a good look at the plans which are going in front of Planning and Full Council next week, given its already been given the go ahead by Cabinet, the recommendation will almost certainly be to approve the plans. I cant see too many problems with those plans at all. The plans look clear and point out where everything is going to be.

The only potential problems are with the financing of the development. There will be a condition of 5 years to start the build though so theres plenty of time to get the money to build it.

[Paul H]

Dont think money is the problem coz GL and margate and london development co are funding it.

[jkmaskell]

Strictly speaking, I dont think the financial side of things can actually lead to the application being turned down ie, its not a planning issue. That would have been something Cabinet would have discussed before giving it the go ahead. Full Council may well wish to have a small discussion about it but thats a minor issue in the grand scheme of things.

[Ian D]

Quote:

jkmaskell said:
Strictly speaking, I dont think the financial side of things can actually lead to the application being turned down ie, its not a planning issue. That would have been something Cabinet would have discussed before giving it the go ahead. Full Council may well wish to have a small discussion about it but thats a minor issue in the grand scheme of things.

I think funding, a strong business plan and sustainability ARE key factors. Using a car analogy, its no good buying a Rolls Royce, if you can't afford to run it!

[Guest]

I just hope the BUSINESS PLAN is strong enough this time round. Recommendations mean nothing unless next week is a success.

[Rob_Butler]

good on Dartford

[jkmaskell]

I agree with you the money's got to be there. But Cabinet wouldnt have let it pass unless the finances and the business structure was there. Full Council might want to be sure for itself though, which is perfectly understandable.

 

Planning I would guess wont pay as much attention as the other parts of this chain to the finances. There are pretty strong guidelines on what does and what doesnt count as a reason for refusal. For example a mobile phone mast cant be refused on health grounds.

[Rob_Butler]

Hopefully TDC will see sence an instead of pumping money into big lumps of rock outside Margate station help improve sport with fundings to the islands two sides

[dtm1977]

I am sure that I heard about a year ago that Dartford council were donating money towards a new stadium. If that was true then there is no way that they can turn it down.

[Guest]

the news statement given out says that dartford council are paying for the whole project.It is going to be a community stadium.

[Guest]

In fairness Dartford are a bigger club than Margate though so there's no shame on your part.