Phew...............................

[American FLEET FAN No1]

Get real Spursfan.........would you pay for improvements on a property if the Landlord was holding out on a new lease?

 

[Jeff Hamnett TSF]

We are not talking about improvements aff.

 

We are talking about basic maintenance.

 

Keeping the place safe.

 

Basically keeping the place in a decent state of repair.

 

The sort of thing people do alongwith paying the bills to ensure the landlord doesn't get p1ssed off and decide to evict you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[American FLEET FAN No1]

Two sides to a partnership.............By what I have read, the Council aren't entirely blameless.........The fact that they might make a big profit by selling the ground for developement, hasn't got anything to do with it either! Perish the thought!

[Jeff Hamnett TSF]

that is the old argument that keeps coming out,but there is no plan by the council to sell off Meadowbank.

 

The argument is used to deflect attention from DFCLs failure to maintain the home of Dorking Football Club.

 

[Bitch]

It's a funny ol thing this 'maintenance'. My beloved poor club Twells has just had a bill in excess of £80,000 for 'dilapidation'. It is in the process of being bought out (the lease) and our council (as landlords) had to do a review of thier property for this process.

 

They are asking for the perimeter fencing (that no one can ever remember being there) to be replaced. Plus repairs to roofs etc etc etc.... My point is, that even though a struggling club does it's best on and off the pitch. The high costs of maintenance can bankrupt and suck the life out of tennants of a club. It's not a matter of keeping things 'safe'.

 

You can't have normal wear and tear as buildings need regular maintenance..... Times have changed so much. Health and Safety regulations are stringent. It costs a huge amount of money just to have the basics nowadays.

[Jeff Hamnett TSF]

Where does your club go from here then?

 

It would be interesting to see how other clubs deal with a similar situation to Dorkings.

 

Who is buying out the lease? I dont mean names, but is it the club or a property company or...?

[Bitch]

No problem with naming names. It's all in the public domain. Gary Stevens (ex Spurs and England player) is in the process of taking the club over. He lives locally and is the lifeline for TWFC. He will make TWFC into a limited company.

 

Because the dilapidation bill has been served to TWFC it is the responsibiliy of the Trustees of TWFC. Though i'm sure that TW Borough Council will aid the smooth transfer of the lease with Mr Stevens 'promise' to carry out the necessary works within a reasonable amount of time rather than all at once. It is in thier interests as well as the club's.

 

GS taking over the club is the best and only way for TWFC to carry on. He will inject money, time and business experience into the club, not to mention his knowledge of footy. The future is now bright

[Jeff Hamnett TSF]

goodness me spurs get everywhere dont they!

 

Weve got one coming at Dorking, David Tuttle. Just as an advisor though.

 

David Howells at Guildford.

 

Well Im glad all looks ok at TWells, getting info out of our council and the club is advanced dentistry.

 

Ill keep probing and boring!!

[Big J R]

Originally Posted By: thespursfan

that is the old argument that keeps coming out,but there is no plan by the council to sell off Meadowbank.

The argument is used to deflect attention from DFCLs failure to maintain the home of Dorking Football Club.

Have you actually seen that fact in WRITING from MVDC ? Personally, 'words' don't mean much to me.

I hope you are right and I really wish our newly elected Council Vice Chairman, (a man with a great interest in football), would come forward and answer that question.

This is not me having a dig, Spursfan - Honest. It is an open straight question.

[American FLEET FAN No1]

Originally Posted By: thespursfan

that is the old argument that keeps coming out,but there is no plan by the council to sell off Meadowbank.

The argument is used to deflect attention from DFCLs failure to maintain the home of Dorking Football Club.

PROVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[American FLEET FAN No1]

Originally Posted By: thespursfan

goodness me spurs get everywhere dont they!

Weve got one coming at Dorking, David Tuttle. Just as an advisor though.

David Howells at Guildford.

Well Im glad all looks ok at TWells, getting info out of our council and the club is advanced dentistry.

Ill keep probing and boring!!

Well at least we agree on something........You are boring!

[Jeff Hamnett TSF]

Big Jr,

 

I appreciate you are not having a dig. You want the same thing as me , football at Meadowbank.

 

You are probably as frustrated as me at not getting any info from the council.

 

I have looked at all the council plans I could find Ive read the policy committee minutes. Development stops at the brook.

 

I am not privy to any of the information APM has indicated he has received from the council about 30 year leases and guarantees on non development.

 

I cant prove a negative!

 

The council have lots of schemes and plans for the next few years that will upset a lot of people but they are all published and documented. Redevelopment of Meadowbank isn't one of them!

(Using Church Gardens as temporary/emergency housing meaning they wont have to pay to rehouse full tenants is!)

I know why people think that the council would want to sell, it was an opinion I shared a couple of months ago.

 

I thought DFCL was deliberately running the club into the ground so the Council could say look Dorking cant support a football club at this level, we need to maximise return from our assets, the ground is going to be a .........(?)

 

The club has been there for fifty years or so and we've had Tory councils most of that time at a guess. It survived the eighties capitalist era!

 

I think the ground is safe from redevelopment, you are entitled to your view BJR.

 

One of the arguments to support DFCLs lack of maintenance has been why would DFCL put money into maintaining a ground they believed was to be redeveloped?

 

If they still believe it will be redeveloped why are they now willing to spend money on lawyers defending their right to stay there?

 

Yes I agree BJR some clarity from the council would be most welcome, as would some truth from DFCL.

 

 

 

 

[Jeff Hamnett TSF]

aff regarding the "boring"

Is irony removed surgically on arrival at Usa?

 

 

[Big J R]

It is not my VIEW that MVDC want to re-develop Meadowbank, (for someones profit ?) - More my FEAR.

 

You are completely right about the brook being a border line as far as development is concerned. Had you not thought about posh flats with an overlooking view of a (widened) brook and the second tallest church spire in England ? A good selling point, don't you think ?

 

I cannot subscribe to your idea that the club policy has been to deliberately run the ground down.

[Jeff Hamnett TSF]

Bigjr I dont think the club has been run down deliberately now either!

 

Posh flats, yes but make sure the double glazing is the best , the bells, the bells.

 

We strangely seem in Agreement Bjr!

 

We both want the best for Dorking football.

 

A long term future at Meadowbank for the senior side with a top youth backup ( I even agree girls football has a place in a community club)

 

The council should be clear about their intentions and get on with it.

 

Possibly you may not be 100 % with me on this one DFCL needs to be honest about it's problems and seek help of all kinds if it is to have any hope of staying there mid to long term.

 

I promise not to post on here again about this unless any thing more is said about DFC or Meadowbank that I think needs challenging.

 

 

[BMonkey]

People involved in the saga spursfan is that there is a lot of cash available from the F.A. for ground develpment. Dorking would normally be a cast iron certainty to qualify, though to get these significant grants the clubs submissions must be backed up by security of tenure.

Thats free money and six figure sums available for the want of a lease.

[nut250]

boring kents

give it up its run its course

[ChickRob]

Let's look at what the council's local plan actually says rather than just exchange blows. There would be no chance of getting planning permission for the development of Meadowbank, unless a replacement stadium was provided. Then there's the issue of access on top of that which would be a huge problem.

 

POLICY REC2 – RETENTION OF EXISTING

PLAYING FIELDS AND SPORTS GROUNDS

Loss of playing fields and sports grounds through

development or use for other purposes will not be

permitted except where suitable alternative

provision is made.

 

12.29 Existing playing fields and sports grounds will be

protected from development. Exceptionally there

may be justification for accepting their loss if

they are being replaced by better facilities in a

suitable location adjacent or nearby, or facilities

can best be retained and enhanced through the

redevelopment of a small part of the site.

 

Futhermore protection is given due to its status as "Strategic Open Land Within a Built-Up Area" (what everyone else knows as Meadowbank).

 

POLICY ENV20 – STRATEGIC OPEN LAND

WITHIN BUILT-UP AREAS

The development of strategic open land as defined

on the Proposals Map will not normally be

permitted other than for purposes ancillary to the

use of the land for outdoor recreation appropriate

to the character of the area.

 

So I'd say there was no chance of MVDC being able to just get rid of Meadowbank and they said as much in their interview with the Dorking Ad the other week, saying that they were looking for another tennant.