Can't really argue with any of that. Basically the council feel they've done everything they can and will not get on with things on the assumption the club is not coming back but will be willing to talk at any time should SISU change their mind. Puts the pressure on SISU to start delivering some solid evidence of the new stadium.
When did that happen? The Higgs only agreed a HOT with Sisu and then Sisu walked away and as far as I know have yet to reimburse the Higgs for their costs despite agreeing to do so. CCC couldn't veto the sale of the charity share as no sale had been agreed and HOT aren't binding.
No what she should have said was that this also included supporting any sensible planning application within the city boundaries also.... that really would have called their bluff.... this statement was absolutely nothing new once again.
Agree about the planning thing but disagree this is nothing new. This is te council moving on. Over to you Sisu.
Sat through God knows how much council waffle to hear a statement that didn't say anything new.:facepalm:
I think this gives the go ahead to ACL to pursue other alternatives. If they can.
I'd put a roof on it personally.
If they have moved on, why are they still talking about it?
It is like texting somebody to say "I am over you". It is the same with SISU, the game is still very much on I think.
I think this gives the go ahead to ACL to pursue other alternatives. If they can.
I'd put a roof on it personally.
Coun Ann Lucas speech to full council this afternoon:
2014 is a critical year for the city of Coventry as we continue our transformation to become a truly competitive city - not just on a national stage but on an international one, too.
Since becoming Leader I have spoken a lot about grasping every possible opportunity to talk up our city and our vision for economic growth and prosperity to put Coventry up there - where it rightly belongs. We want to make Coventry great again, and we will make Coventry great again.
You might think this is a strange place to begin a statement about Coventry City Football Club, ACL and the Ricoh Arena. Actually, it's exactly the right place to begin. Because this is the context we’re working in, and this will be the focus of our efforts this year as we face some of the toughest funding challenges from central government local government has ever seen.
There is so much vital work for us to do with partners across the city and the sub-region to stimulate the economy and create jobs and opportunities for our people - we cannot be overly distracted by the ongoing dispute with the owners of the Sky Blues. We are beginning to see the results of our absolute determination to make Coventry great again, but there is much more to do and our journey has only just begun.
So this is where we stand. Let me be absolutely clear and unequivocal about the following.
Yes - as I have said consistently here in this Chamber, as I have said to Ms Seppala face to face and I have said in the media; I want to see the Sky Blues playing back at the Ricoh Arena - its rightful home.
Yes - I acknowledge that the Ricoh Arena, as a key asset of our city, would be enhanced by having the Sky Blues back home.
Yes - I agree that there is a significant adverse impact for a growing, aspirational city not to have a football club playing here.
Yes - I do have confidence in ACL to trade through without the football club, and also to go from strength to strength over the coming months and years.
Yes - I continue to be available on behalf of the Council to discuss with the owners of football club a reuniting of the Sky Blues with the Ricoh Arena.
Yes - in the future we must be committed to consider all options available to not just protect but also maximise the potential of the Ricoh Arena. We must continue to deliver all the objectives which led us to that brave decision in 2003 to build the Arena and regenerate one of the most deprived parts of our city. And let’s just remember what this decision has meant to our city.
Before the Arena motorists on the M6 used the ugly gasholders on the old Foleshill gasworks as the sign they were passing Coventry. What a great advert for the city!
Now it’s the stadium – a symbol of our commitment to regeneration and reinvention. I’m proud that I know I’m nearly home from a long motorway trek when I see our Arena on the horizon – I know thousands of Coventry people feel the same.
And it’s not just the stadium that’s transformed that part of the city, of course. It’s the shopping centre there, including what was, at the time, Europe’s largest Tesco, the library we opened to make it as easy for local people to borrow a book as it was to buy a can of baked beans, and all the other shops and restaurants now well established on the site. Nearly three thousand people now work on the transformed land of what was once a contaminated, ugly gasworks.
The Ricoh Arena, and the site around it, has always been about much, much more than a football stadium. It’s about regeneration, jobs creation, a symbol of pride for people in a part of the city that’s had more than its fair share of hard times.
This is - and always has been - our focus.
And because I want this city to be punching not just at its weight but way above, and I’m in a hurry to make this happen, I am no long prepared for us to be distracted unnecessarily on this issue - as important as it will remain.
We will prepare rigorously to defend our position against the owners of Coventry City Football Club in the ongoing Judicial Review proceedings.
We will provide support to ACL as it gears up to deliver its business plan over the next year and beyond. We will leave the door ajar to the owners of the football club and, indeed, any other interested parties who want to discuss sensibly the future development of the Ricoh Arena.
But as I made clear before Christmas - we will now move on.
We simply must - for the sake of the taxpayers of Coventry - meet the ongoing financial challenges as best we can and grab with both hands every single opportunity to make our city prosperous.
I would expect all my Labour group colleagues to focus on these two issues, and I would hope to have cross party support on this, too. I need my officers, particularly at senior level, to focus on guiding us through the toughest financial times we have arguably ever faced.
The position of the Council that I have outlined today is clear.
The position of ACL – to grow its business but prepared, as I understand it, for the football club to come back immediately and cover costs only is clear.
The position of Ms Seppala on behalf of the Club that they will only come back to the Ricoh Arena as complete and unfettered owners and in the meantime they will accelerate plans to build a new home outside Coventry - is equally clear. Repeating these respective positions does not strengthen the case, nor does it provide a solution.
Now this Council must and will move on. We do not have time to waste and must not have unnecessary distractions from the priorities ahead of us all.
I will continue to hope for a solution to this sorry saga - but I will not allow it to dominate and distract any longer.
Enough is enough - we move on and lead our city to a strong, prosperous future - preferably with the Sky Blues at the Ricoh Arena playing an integral part in our success - but if necessary without them.
A bit of an anti climax, doesn't really say anything that hasn't been said before.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - so please excuse any spelling or grammar errors
So if the JR was for funding for a full project, are ACL making money from Tesco etc? I don't get that bit.
Where does it say that?
So if the JR was for funding for a full project, are ACL making money from Tesco etc? I don't get that bit.
It is about a whole development project Nick. A regeneration project for that side of the city. It was a whole package built up of different elements....they all fed of each other.
So ACL were loaned the money to redevelop that side of the city not just for the football stadium? What's that got to do with the football club though?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?