(25-05-2021, 07:25 AM)Tricky Wrote: I quite simply find it hard to imagine the City Council would seriously consider any plans that will allow any sporting arena within an already creaking City Centre infrastructure, especially a football stadium which could generate a capacity of 35,000+ people.
What kind of arrangement would be made to the club? Would they just lease the ground from the developers? In which case certain elements of club management would be taken away from the owners and would be negotiable. Any major disagreement could result in us having to play away from the stadium and play our home games at another ground (Meadow Lane or worst still the King Prawn?). See Coventry City and the Ricoh Stadium owners.
There would be the increase in traffic coming in to an already congested road network. Not everyone can access public transport to get to the ground so car parking would need to be addressed. The traffic jams would be horrendous. They are bad now on matchdays and that is only traffic coming to the ground from the North of the City. Traffic coming in from all directions would be madness!
Hooliganism. Lets face it, there is still an undercurrent at football matches whereby violence is still bubbling away under the surface. Forest V Derby is a prime example of that. The City Council would not be seen to be supporting an initiative that would be detrimental to the safety of all users of the City Centre, especially shoppers. I cannot see how they would approve any kind of proposal that would put the safety of all users at any kind of risk. Away fans would head into the City Centre for drinks before and after the game and policing a much larger area of pubs would be problematic for the Police.
I just don't see it being given the go-ahead TBH. I think the Boots island site was probably about as close to the City Centre as would be reasonably acceptable and anything nearer would not get the support of the City Council.
Just my personal opinion
I'd normally agree with most of that Tricky and to me this all seems pie in the sky but the more I think about it the more I like the idea and think someone might be looking at it. If the city council aren't I can see why maybe private developers would be giving it some thought. The biggest factor is that the City Council own this large piece of land and the market for prime retail floor space has fallen away, so no prime rental income is realistic in the foreseeable future as footfall disappears. So what next, residential development? Well there are plenty of private developers out there who are delivering that stuff in the city already. People have mentioned a city park green space, well that sounds lovely but will offer zero return to tax payers. So what could the site be used for that would provide the much needed urban regeneration, and be a boost for the Nottingham community, and provide a return for tax payers, and promote the name of Nottingham? A multi use stadium facility incorporating football, cinema, bars, restaurants etc etc.
And re the transport issues, the council took the view with the ice stadium that a venue could be built without any car parking provision. It was controversial at the time, but it does seem to work ok. Yes, a football stadium is another level but the tram and train are on the doorstep and I wouldn't put it past the council to think they could overcome the transport issues.
It just sounds mega expensive though. Developing all of that, along with the associated infrastructure, is a vast undertaking. Much more expensive than sticking a pride park stadium on an industrial estate so I cant see the club going for it unless it would be heavily subsidised by a world cup bid or something. It'll come to nothing and was probably just a rumour anyway, but I do like the idea myself. It's much more appealing that an out of town venue.