Moff
Well-Known Member
There was potential with the Sky Blue stand, and at one point talk of expanding it.
A few thousand more and it wouldnt have been far off the capacity at the soulless dump that is the Ricoh.
We couldn’t have expanded HR.
Richardson was well out of his depth though.
There was potential with the Sky Blue stand, and at one point talk of expanding it.
A few thousand more and it wouldnt have been far off the capacity at the soulless dump that is the Ricoh.
There's plenty out there, it's all or nothing. It softened later on in the process to a hint that a long lease would do.
It's Seppala's USP, hardball and all or nothing on the big plays - always been the way.
Justifications to move really as a political decision involving Robinson as much as anything.I believe it was about whether you could get that many people in and out the ground rather than whether there was space. Also ironically about opening up other income streams.
Justifications to move really as a political decision involving Robinson as much as anything.
Plus the original plan was genuinely different to HR. Once it got watered down, there was less need to move beyond saving face and getting some quick cash to help the club tick over, and have the directors cling on to the idea they may have got their cash back.
Here you go, so that you don't need to add '(which was offered to SISU I believe)', this is a link to the club website that has the draft Heads of Terms that were agreed between CCC and SISU, signed by Laura Deering, which includes the Council extending the lease to 125 years, amongst other things.Thabk you. I literally bored myself to sleep last night reading the JR Appeal verdict as it was the only non SBT link for ‘Seppala “unencumbered freehold”’ on Google.
I now understand the JR and the KPMG valuation a lot more though! Surprised KPMG basically value the freehold at £0.6-1m, something to do with ACL paying £21m up front (this is the point I fell asleep). They call the 250 lease a freehold in principle which is fair, but makes you wonder why a 125 year lease isn’t that also (which was offered to Sisu I believe).
Love the paragraph about keeping in confidence the contents of the letter - the only bit which *is* legally binding!Here you go, so that you don't need to add '(which was offered to SISU I believe)', this is a link to the club website that has the draft Heads of Terms that were agreed between CCC and SISU, signed by Laura Deering, which includes the Council extending the lease to 125 years, amongst other things.
yeah I guess similar wording is in the current NDA, but shows that the detail can come out eventually. I guess the court case(s) brought this document out in the open.Love the paragraph about keeping in confidence the contents of the letter - the only bit which *is* legally binding!
Here you go, so that you don't need to add '(which was offered to SISU I believe)', this is a link to the club website that has the draft Heads of Terms that were agreed between CCC and SISU, signed by Laura Deering, which includes the Council extending the lease to 125 years, amongst other things.
I think the judgement said it was because neither side wanted to push on with it, and it's likely the bank debt was a large part of that, but not only that. The only point I'm making is that SISU knew a long lease was available, and one that they could agree with.That fell apart because of the bank debt thing didn’t it?
That's not a fact, it's your opinion... and that's an important distinction.Fact is no expansion to HR would’ve passed planning. If you wanted bigger, you’d have to have moved.
That's not a fact, it's your opinion... and that's an important distinction.
I think the council needed the Arena project to go ahead as was key to its regeneration project for north west Coventry and there was political capital to be made.Justifications to move really as a political decision involving Robinson as much as anything.
Plus the original plan was genuinely different to HR. Once it got watered down, there was less need to move beyond saving face and getting some quick cash to help the club tick over, and have the directors cling on to the idea they may have got their cash back.
Ultimately it was Dave Nellist who had the casting vote, and he insisted on more regeneration being in the plan before agreeing.I think the council needed the Arena project to go ahead as was key to its regeneration project for north west Coventry and there was political capital to be made.
Thanks for your opinion.It’s my opinion based on talking to people who made the decision (and who made that decision based on talking to the people in charge of planning at the time) and my understanding of planning law through work, yeah.
Thanks for your opinion.
I think you will find the planning reality a little different to what you may have been led to believe.
HR was an historic sports stadium, built before any meaningful planning legislation existed. The stadium had a long history of being licensed for and hosting crowds far in excess of it's final capacity. The legacy capacities alone will probably have been sufficient to successfully argue that the existing infrastructure was sufficient to support a modest capacity increase.
Would have been cheaper to purchase the housing around it then build the Ricoh, anyway.Thanks for your opinion.
I think you will find the planning reality a little different to what you may have been led to believe.
HR was an historic sports stadium, built before any meaningful planning legislation existed. The stadium had a long history of being licensed for and hosting crowds far in excess of it's final capacity. The legacy capacities alone will probably have been sufficient to successfully argue that the existing infrastructure was sufficient to support a modest capacity increase.
Would have been cheaper to purchase the housing around it then build the Ricoh, anyway.
A move to 28k wouldn't have been excessive and, once the Ricoh project was downscaled, it wouldn't have been that much of a loss anyway
Ultimately it was Dave Nellist who had the casting vote, and he insisted on more regeneration being in the plan before agreeing.
Thought the Crusaders got kicked out of the SkyDome by Planet Ice when they didn't join the BBL? Think that was the reason they gave officially although there was also a falling out over the disastrous first game the Crusaders played there. Was a complete farce with water on the court and ended up having to be abandoned as it was too dangerous.Also at the time the council wanted to push sport. We moved the Blaze in, offered Crusaders the Sky Dome (Donaldson refused), think we did stuff with the Butts but can’t recall.
I don't know tbh, but I assume the (pretty dismal) housing estate was also seen as being key to regenerating that area. What's often left out, however, in assessments of the benefits of new grounds is indeed what's lost. Developers don't like doing net gain rather than looking in isolation, funnily enough.Wasn't Dave Nellist a councillor for the Ward that hosted Highfield Road? His decision has had dire economic consequences for his former Ward. I wonder if he regrets it?
Before you claimed no expansion to HR would have passed planning. Now you say some expansion might have passed. Does this mean you concede your first post was not true?If you’re only going to mid/high twenties maybe, but 30k+ IMO you’d never have got it through. Same reason the Butts was never really on. The surrounding infrastructure just wouldn’t support it.
I don't know tbh, but I assume the (pretty dismal) housing estate was also seen as being key to regenerating that area. What's often left out, however, in assessments of the benefits of new grounds is indeed what's lost. Developers don't like doing net gain rather than looking in isolation, funnily enough.
Tbf the general setup of those flats, with 'pitch' in the middle is a pretty decent idea and it's quite airy, but it's not aged well!
Well that’s your opinion and thanks for it. Doesn’t mean as much as the people making the decision though.
Also “legacy capacity” means nothing when people didn’t have cars before and planning law has changed. Millions of examples of things that were legal no longer being legal.
Also at the time the council wanted to push sport. We moved the Blaze in, offered Crusaders the Sky Dome (Donaldson refused), think we did stuff with the Butts but can’t recall.
he might have info, his Dad was leader of the Council once
Biased you mean m8
he might have info, his Dad was leader of the Council once
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