New Stadium update

[kentblues]

In the end the funding for the stadium as an enabling development has always been for the three sides. They are now putting more commercial into those three sides but this seems more around food, drink, entertainment and this makes sense.

The 4th side remains the primary commercial driver with significant and large conferencing facilities etc. But was always to be funded separately via the wider development hence the phasing.

I don’t think improving the three sides jeopardises the 4th side but can see the thought process that worries it will….still think so much of the revenue streams are tied to the 4th side to coin a phrase nothing has changed…

 

[SeldomSeenShrimper]

2024/25 means it needs to start on site no later than the end of next season...

I read it as the work will start then ... I'm probably wrong

 

[FarmdogSUFC]

FWIW I actually think this will start. Don’t ask me when it will be completely finished though

 

[NZamba Legend]

It.Is.Not.Possible

It would be possible if we weren't owned by a property developer. But we are, so I get where you are coming from.

 

[tommy tucker]

Why does Chairman Ron keep making these statments .Instead of all this talk either build the bloody thing or just stop giving fans one faulse dawn after another .

 

[NZamba Legend]

Anyway my glass has always been half full on this, uncool or not :-)

Your glass may be half full but I'm guessing the beer is pretty warm by now?

 

[SeaSideDoughnut]

Forgive me if I'm wrong but wasn't Brightons Amex stadium one which could be increased over time? I've seen pictures before which suggest it has but I never looked in to it.

If so, I don't know why our stadium was ever 21,000, or 17,000 or three sided because we're a tinpot club that can't afford the forth. At this point and even before now it could've been 12,000 actual seats that can be used with a design in place to grow as needed.

Who knows, knocking 9,000 seats off the initial build might save enough in construction costs to have never worried about a three-sided stadium to begin with and if need to increase due to not having space, those tickets sales might hopefully substantiate the increase.

 

[Shrimpergonzo]

I appreciate that it's very fashionable to be cynical on this subject, but as long as there are no significant increases to the size and scale of the actual stadium buildings, it shouldn't actually need to go to the planning committee - it could be waved through by officers. The minimum time this would take after an application is submitted is about 6 weeks but at the moment with planning departments as stretched as every other industry in this country, I would say it would take longer, perhaps a few months.

Meanwhile the construction works already have planning permission. So work could still be going on on constructing access roads, training pitches, and other necessary work.

Some good points made here @Jai - the scale of the development decreasing rather than increasing should make this easier to nod through - whether politically that can be a delegated decision is over to the local standing orders, but it shouldn't be contentious politically given what has already been approved. It's not just the scale of the buildings themselves, it's potentially less traffic flow as well.

What could be a problem is if Ron uses this as a way to try to renegotiate the planning obligations (contributions towards traffic schemes etc.) - that will take time.

The other important point is that we do (subject to approval of any reserved matters and additional applications to comply with conditions) already have an extant planning permission which means that this should not halt any of the enabling works (roads, sewers etc.) or preparatory surveys. That should hopefully mean we can get cracking earlier.

As I said earlier I think theses are generally positive things - smaller capacity, safe standing, some commercial/hospitality in phase 1.

I think the last point is key as I scrutinised the plans in some detail and I couldn't see anywhere that corporate clients could be entertained at half time. Roots Hall is not great but we do have some boxes and dining areas. I think there was only a Directors' lounge in the old plans.

Looking forward to seeing the new plans.

 

[gatecrasher]

So that confirms the impending Embargo then . Someone needs to tell Ron that after 30 odd years now of " new stadium coming" "spade in ground next month" "diggers on site"...we just won't buy it anymore. Sell up and sod off

 

[Fairport]

Every problem this club has can be traced back to RM. It is always down to having insufficient finance being available. A stadium with only three sides, now a reduced capacity, it all looks like lack of money being available or at least not enough to complete the original plan. As others have mentioned, Bournemouth and Brentford have owners with enough wealth. We have a small time property developer.

 

[Dave Smiths Love Child]

Why does Chairman Ron keep making these statments .Instead of all this talk either build the bloody thing or just stop giving fans one faulse dawn after another .

Not only Ron TT, a lot of the PR machines rolled out have given false dawns .....

 

[Crawliano]

The lending on the stadium has little bearing on Southend United Football Club - there will be the usual caveats such as playing in a higher division may lead to increased crowds, but any analyst would have looked at historicals to see that there's a pretty steady base which in the current ground will not rise or fall too much. In a way, we're kind of blessed right now, we are currently going through the "what if?" on a worst case scenario - we've dropped out of the football league, so the lenders know what will happen without having invested a penny.

There's likely to be another company operating that will look after the stadium development and this is what the lending will be tied to. All lending will be tied to the sale and development around the stadium, so at this point having lending attached to property development with a property developer at the helm, although being unpopular with the fanbase is actually pretty sensible.

 

[Colchester and proud!]

It makes sense to build a lower capacity stadium but build it in such a way that it can be easily enlarged if needed. Our stadium has a capacity of approx 10K but can easily be increased to 18K if ever needed (Unlikely!) The foundations on 3 sides will take a further section on them to create twin tiers and the corners can be filled in to increase seating and make the stadium more enclosed. We have lots of entertainment areas and small rooms for conferences etc, in the last full season before covid around 160K people used the stadium for non football events, I wish it was for football events

 

[kentblues]

Forgive me if I'm wrong but wasn't Brightons Amex stadium one which could be increased over time? I've seen pictures before which suggest it has but I never looked in to it.

If so, I don't know why our stadium was ever 21,000, or 17,000 or three sided because we're a tinpot club that can't afford the forth. At this point and even before now it could've been 12,000 actual seats that can be used with a design in place to grow as needed.

Who knows, knocking 9,000 seats off the initial build might save enough in construction costs to have never worried about a three-sided stadium to begin with and if need to increase due to not having space, those tickets sales might hopefully substantiate the increase.

I think some of this is driven by the fact the funding from Homes England was an enabling investment and only for that element strictly required for the move from RH. The 4th side contained such a commercial element it went beyond what was required as an enabling project. To have a much small 4 sides stadium built devoid of much of the ability to create commercial revenues would be a classic case of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory…

 

[gatecrasher]

Every problem this club has can be traced back to RM. It is always down to having insufficient finance being available. A stadium with only three sides, now a reduced capacity, it all looks like lack of money being available or at least not enough to complete the original plan. As others have mentioned, Bournemouth and Brentford have owners with enough wealth. We have a small time property developer.

Ron's never had the money to support a football club ever, we have been run like a car with no oil for years, just waiting for the engine to seize.

Southend could of been like Hull, Swansea, Brentford, Bournemouth with the right owner. Instead we have one who links a heap of imaginary debt to his 300 "companies" which no one in their right mind would pay off and take over. Ron saw Roots Hall as his golden nest egg and the club merely a fly in his ointment. Until he and his family have left this club we will never have a new stadium, forever be embargoed every season and good people will always leave the club

 

[londonblue]

So back to another planning application.

I know. At some point they need to stop tinkering and actually just get on with it. Unbelievably frustrating, whatever spin they try to put on it.

 

[londonblue]

After it was passed i thought Martin said work would be under way in April.

So did Stan, IIRC.

 

[RHB]

I agree. Seems like a spin just to appease the fans and bring in some season ticket sales. How many times have we heard "awaiting planning"..."build starts in Apr" etc etc...it's all kicking the can down the road.

I'm sorry, but he's had 20 odd years to come up with a new stadium and what are we being offered ? In 2 seasons time (if at all) we're being offered a 3 sided thingy with no guarantee of how it'll benefit SUFC financially. Is the funding actually agreed ? and what happens if Ron gets banged up in the meantime ?

OK, how do I feel about being in the West Stand when the roof collapses and I'm showered in asbestos, or better still in the East Stand when the wood finally catches fire? Tricky old choices there.

 

[londonblue]

2024/25 means it needs to start on site no later than the end of next season...

On the stadium. Hopefully (and that may well be a forlorn hope) the training complex can be agreed and constructed whilst the council decide on this further stadium iteration.

 

[WhiteNoise]

The website makes no reference to the dome

The Stadium | Fossetts

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