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Breaking News Hotel plans now ditched.

Cricko

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PLANS to build a hotel at Southend United’s long-awaited new stadium have been axed, with additional homes set to be built instead.

The club is now proposing to build an additional 42 homes in place of the hotel, taking the total of number of properties planned for the Fossetts Farm project to 224.

Despite initially being confident of signing a deal with a big name hotel, the club has been unable to get an operator to join the major plans.
Changes announced in a revised planning application submitted to Southend Council also outline proposals to lower the capacity of the stadium to 16,226.

It comes just months after the club announced a previous reduction in capacity for the stadium, down from 21,000 to 17,000.
Ian Gilbert, councillor responsible for economic recovery, regeneration and housing gave a cautious welcome to the new homes.
He said: “It’s good news as long as the infrastructure is there. This has been talked about for a long time. My understanding is that the planning and funding is done and everything is pretty much aligned so we should see some progress soon.”


A report to planners by the club said: “The club has re-examined its requirements for the capacity of a new stadium, given its location in south Essex and fan base and now needs to downsize the stadium to 16,226 seats.
“In addition, an occupier has not been secured for the stadium north stand hotel, so the north stand will no longer include a hotel. It will continue to accommodate match day corporate facilities, a ballroom, club offices and boardroom.”
The club concluded: “The amendments will enable the long planned for stadium to progress in accordance with the scale of the stadium the club sees as befitting its location within the city and wider south Essex area. There are clear planning benefits arising from the scheme.
“As such planning permission should be granted without delay.”
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The first phase of the Fossetts Farm scheme is already underway, with new training pitches being installed and ready for use by the winter.
Work will then begin on the east, west and south stands of the stadium, with construction set to finish in 2024. The 224 new homes are expected to be built by 2028, according to the plans.
 
So the houses are now paying for the main stand, I am not quite sure how that works as the hotel was part of the infrastructure of it?

The capacity is reduced once again!

Hmmm.
 
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It's all about cost cuts everywhere re the stadium and training ground and cram in as many houses as possible.

But this will impact on the ability to earn income too? Thought we were supposed to targeting corporate and social events, you're not going to do that with more housing and nowhere to stay!
 
But this will impact on the ability to earn income too? Thought we were supposed to targeting corporate and social events, you're not going to do that with more housing and nowhere to stay!
Exactly Kay, it is a housing estate now with a stadium, if you can call it that now, stuck in the middle and just an obsticle in the greater picture. This whole project was never about giving SUFC a new stadium.

Houses houses everywhere but no training building on the horizon or main stand and in the meantime let's see where we can cut other corners.
 
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Once the retail and cinema went no one was ever going to invest in a hotel. Completely the wrong part of town and its not close to a motorway with people passing through etc.

Shame it the stadium isn't being built on the Queensway site. The town, the club, local businesses and certainly us fans would all be better off.

At least with the reduction in capacity we will only be sitting in a half empty stadium rather than a soulless MK 25% full type nonsense.
 
So the houses are now paying for the main stand, I am not quite sure how that works as the hotel was part of the infrastructure of it?

The capacity is reduced once again!

Hmmm.
Indeed.

“The club has re-examined its requirements for the capacity of a new stadium, given its location in south Essex and fan base and now needs to downsize the stadium to 16,226 seats.

So are they saying they got it wrong previously, or is this just a cheap justification because be they can't get a hotel and need the extra space for the houses that are needed to replace it?

By the time you take segregation into account the new stadium won't be that much bigger than Roots Hall, although it will be more modern and will lead to a better experience.

How will this impact all the off-field revenue that is needed to make the club sustainable?
 

this doesn't sound like positive news and may delay the project even further. Now I am eligible for a senior season ticket, I wonder if I will ever actually see the new ground in my lifetime
 
A property developer will always property develop.

This club never ceases to amaze me, at this rate we are better off keeping some history and stay at roots hall.

Ron will eventually push us all away
 
These are the type of flats they intend to build at Roots Hall. 502 homes in total. They will go up to eight storeys high maximum, but also a few two storey terraced houses. 152 homes classed as affordable, cough. With the cost of materials sky high at the moment, and transportation costs of materials, etc, etc, we'll see how that pans out.

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Any plan for a new stadium that doesn't take the opportunity of building into the infrastructure some kind of potential ongoing revenue stream for the club seems very short sighted. The club at some point will have to pay rent to whoever owns the stadium so we look like we'll be worse off after the move than we are now. Its all a very sad direction of travel unless someone comes over the horizon who can buy the club and stadium. Or have I missed a chapter and read this wrong ?
 
I honestly still believe if this was being built elsewhere in the country under a different council this would have been built years ago.
 
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