Echo News Southend United chairman Ron Martin explains how club would be boosted by new ground

[londonblue]

I don't think the Hotel is now going ahead. It's just housing.

Possibly, but I thought the main stand still incorporated a hotel?

 

[Cricko]

I don't think the Hotel is now going ahead. It's just housing.

There was also a mention of concerts and other uses for the stadium on non match days and close season. Will they still be allowed in the middle of a huge housing estate?

Has anybody seen actual final plans?

 

[HUMBLEPIE]

But interestingly, Colchester are in free fall, look probably more likely than we do to drop out of the league and there is so much uncertainty surrounding Robbie Cowling that he won't even commit to being there beyond the end of the season. On the field, they are barely better off than we are.

According to BBC Essex last Saturday the owner decided to pay the bills on time to do this the higher paid players had to go he knew it was a gamble, if they end up in the NL they will be in a good financial position where as if we end up in the NL we ain’t got a pot to pee in.

 

[londonblue]

According to BBC Essex last Saturday the owner decided to pay the bills on time to do this the higher paid players had to go he knew it was a gamble, if they end up in the NL they will be in a good financial position where as if we end up in the NL we ain’t got a pot to pee in.

Don't worry. Ron will buy one, and won't charge rent on it.

 

[Somerset Ex-TTB]

Don't worry. Ron will buy one, and won't charge rent on it.

He will buy one, then mortgage it to the banks to buy a bigger pee pot, but then mismanage the pee pot so much over the next few years trying to build a mega pee pot, but that wont be ours either and we will only benefit from any outsiders coming to pee in a tiny part of the mega pee pot.

 

[Medway Blue]

There was also a mention of concerts and other uses for the stadium on non match days and close season. Will they still be allowed in the middle of a huge housing estate?

Has anybody seen actual final plans?

He mentioned this in the February meeting I think. Or maybe the one before it. I'm pretty sure it's now been said that concerts of any really scale cannot happen now that it will be a housing estate.

So no concerts and no hotel. Where are the club's revenue streams coming from?

 

[NZamba Legend]

So, it seems no one has seen the latest plans for the stadium? This must be a priority. From starting as the flagship project with a model and a snazzy video the stadium (and football club) is now an afterthought to the two housing developments. It's a de facto s106.

 

[Supa Shrimpa]

So, it seems no one has seen the latest plans for the stadium? This must be a priority. From starting as the flagship project with a model and a snazzy video the stadium (and football club) is now an afterthought to the two housing developments. It's a de facto s106.

He says it's too early to assess what we would need in Non League...yet in another breath he says there's plans for the North (Main) Stand to have between 850-1,000 seats ????

 

[Jai]

So, it seems no one has seen the latest plans for the stadium? This must be a priority. From starting as the flagship project with a model and a snazzy video the stadium (and football club) is now an afterthought to the two housing developments. It's a de facto s106.

They're available to view on the Southend Council website.

 

[Supa Shrimpa]

This is my guess !

 

[NZamba Legend]

They're available to view on the Southend Council website.

It seems, I may be wrong, that these are still the plans that included the hotel and retail space. The design is to be amended accordingly due to the switch to housing. I can't find documents relating to what RM refers to as 'phase 1' etc.

 

[SUBBlue]

This is my guess !

View attachment 14995

Is this 1:1 scale, I believe Ron’s not the tallest of gentlemen?

 

[Supa Shrimpa]

Is this 1:1 scale, I believe Ron’s not the tallest of gentlemen?

It could be. This is the sort of size we can afford !

 

[flangejackrabbit]

He says it's too early to assess what we would need in Non League...yet in another breath he says there's plans for the North (Main) Stand to have between 850-1,000 seats ????

This was the seating capacity of the hospitality facilities not the stand itself from what I could make out.

 

[flangejackrabbit]

It seems, I may be wrong, that these are still the plans that included the hotel and retail space. The design is to be amended accordingly due to the switch to housing. I can't find documents relating to what RM refers to as 'phase 1' etc.

The most recent plans I can find still include the hotel (not shown in linked but other docs) but the development is housing rather than retail focused.

http://publicedrms.southend.gov.uk/Planning/StreamDocPage/obj.pdf?DocNo=10430139&PageNo=1&content=obj.pdf

 

[ItsMichaelBlack]

so either way it’s a win win for Ron ?

 

[brigg blue]

Can I just clarify what peoples expectations are from Ron? He's bankrolled the club for 20+ years through good times and bad, far longer than someone would if they were after a quick buck.

As it stands the club has no external loans which is a very good situation to be in for 2021.

Yes he stands to make money from the housing development but that's good for the club if he sticks around.

Are people actually expecting someone to give away a multi-million pound football stadium?

As for non-matchday revenue what are people expecting there to be? If it's not event space or meeting rooms what else would you expect at a football stadium?

 

[flangejackrabbit]

Can I just clarify what peoples expectations are from Ron? He's bankrolled the club for 20+ years through good times and bad, far longer than someone would if they were after a quick buck.

As it stands the club has no external loans which is a very good situation to be in for 2021.

Yes he stands to make money from the housing development but that's good for the club if he sticks around.

Are people actually expecting someone to give away a multi-million pound football stadium?

As for non-matchday revenue what are people expecting there to be? If it's not event space or meeting rooms what else would you expect at a football stadium?

Yes, I was going to post something along these lines. Whatever the situation, housing/retail development or no housing/retail development plans, we would need a new ground in the next five or so years, whether that is at a different site or a wholesale redevelopment of RH. Either option will run comfortably past £10m I reckon (new ground obviously a fair bit more), chance of finding someone to do this with no benefit to themselves is so small it doesn't bear thinking about.

Ron is a speculative property investor, not a builder, not a landlord and property manager. He won't be renting out the residential and collecting X amount every month, he'll sell long leasehold off as a bundle (probably even before it is built) to a larger property co (in this case the council) who will do the renting of the individual units. It's this sale that will secure the capital needed to actually build the stadium, so thoughts that we should be getting residual rental income from the residential seems very wide of what's feasible.

 

[Strykr]

Can I just clarify what peoples expectations are from Ron? He's bankrolled the club for 20+ years through good times and bad, far longer than someone would if they were after a quick buck.

As it stands the club has no external loans which is a very good situation to be in for 2021.

Yes he stands to make money from the housing development but that's good for the club if he sticks around.

Are people actually expecting someone to give away a multi-million pound football stadium?

As for non-matchday revenue what are people expecting there to be? If it's not event space or meeting rooms what else would you expect at a football stadium?

My expectation was he makes millions we get a new stadium and there is a portion of revenue from whatever development occurs to sustain the club moving forward.

Otherwise whats the point.

 

[flangejackrabbit]

Reading into the financial details from the council a bit more closely it's actually rather more complex than my post above but with a similar effect practically.