New Stadium Rumour

I get the sentiment of what you are saying 'grim up north'. Totally understand it, but, why not put the money into developing what is a rundown area?

Gloucester has had ££££ redeveloping the quays area, with an outlet shopping centre, bars, cafes, cinema etc and has to be said, is very good. The Rugby ground is still in the city centre bringing in 12000+ Crowds every other week. From the ground all the way to the quays (3 miles) , there's an amazing atmosphere with pubs, restaurants, coffee shops etc overflowing with customers.

Quoted from diehardmariner

Think beyond the derelict and decaying buildings around there, think of what could be.   If you get chance drive through the docks and look around the water area where the boats and yachts are near Ross House.  It's bloody beautiful and that's in its current state, imagine what we could do with the whole stretch of the Estuary?  

I know the argument is that the land around the docks is ABP owned but I cannot believe that a huge business like ABP have no interest in making the best use of their land, especially when it would make a profit as opposed to doing absolutely nothing at present.   A forward thinking council will get them on board and make this work.

The Docks (the north wall I think) was looked at in the days of Huxford/Ramsden, and the infrastructure cost needed to make sure the stadium wouldn't sink into the water was horrendous. I think that is the case even more now that the flood map has been published.

ABP wouldn't be putting themselves in a situation where they might be liable for millions in claims, should they allow something to be built on their land, that ultimately, became a death trap.

Just catching up with this thread, so from what I’ve read is that the Peaks Parkway ground is dead in the water and the next rumour is to have the ground and facilities at Freeman Street providing you got substantial investment?

Is there not a chance you could redevelop Blundell Park, modernise it?

As a fan of someone who seen his club fooked over by a much bigger ground than what the club could afford or have the fan base for, I wouldn’t wanna see another team close to my heart go mammaries up because one owner has the belief that when you build a bigger ground, that the crowds will suddenly appear.

Is there no chance that Fenty will call a meeting with the fans, council, media or whatever to iron out any finer details and discuss possible options moving forward.

Hi Andy, Blundell Park has limited opportunities to be redeveloped because the housing is so close to it. The Main Stand and Osmond would really need flattening and rebuilt to modern safety standards. The capacity would be massively reduced while this was going on, so that’s an extra cost.

I agree about the concern about affordability of any new stadium. The business case for P.P. has never been clarified really either (and obviously Freemo hasn’t).

The PP plan is not necessarily dead but it’s ‘all gone quiet over there’.

Quoted from Grim up north

I Grew up not far from Freemo but to be fair moving forward I would like to bring family anf friends from away to a venue similar to Rotherhams in pleasant surroundings where you could have say  a meal beforehand and views more pleasing to the eye and I dont see how this would be achieved at Freemo. We struggle to convince people new to the town that it's not a S***hole at the best of times and even with bottomless pockets and the backing of a Euromillion winner you would still struggle to achieve this here.

A guy I work with has a boat moored at the docks and said as a Londoner if this was down south it would all be developed but your not going to attract the investment needed in our location sadly.

Only my point of view and I understand people wanting Freemo / docks but not for me.

Many posters go on about our location, but plenty of less affluent places along the east coast have been developed. I think the main thing is a lack of vision.

To have the stadium within a completely revamped Freeman Street area (ie the area to be unrecognisable from today) with the dock tower behind is something special if it ever got serious.

How do other towns do it? There must be grants available, government money and investment money surely?

The alternative is to stay where we are and never move forward, and allow BP to fall into disrepair as the clubs owner doesn't want to spend any money on it bar the absolute minimum,  just in case we end up moving.  

Quoted from 1mickylyons

The people around here have been held back for decades by bungling Council officials spewing money on things that don`t matter or make anything better like the block paving and Meridian Point or the demolition of Scartho Baths.

All work for their partners in crime-you know who

Quoted from malkamalka

The Docks (the north wall I think) was looked at in the days of Huxford/Ramsden, and the infrastructure cost needed to make sure the stadium wouldn't sink into the water was horrendous. I think that is the case even more now that the flood map has been published.

ABP wouldn't be putting themselves in a situation where they might be liable for millions in claims, should they allow something to be built on their land, that ultimately, became a death trap.

Stadium in and around the area where the flats have been flattened (all but one gone now as I went past this morning).

Dock/Quayside area developed into something that makes best use of the relatively unique water option we have.

Quoted from Grim up north

I Grew up not far from Freemo but to be fair moving forward I would like to bring family anf friends from away to a venue similar to Rotherhams in pleasant surroundings where you could have say  a meal beforehand and views more pleasing to the eye and I dont see how this would be achieved at Freemo. We struggle to convince people new to the town that it's not a S***hole at the best of times and even with bottomless pockets and the backing of a Euromillion winner you would still struggle to achieve this here.

A guy I work with has a boat moored at the docks and said as a Londoner if this was down south it would all be developed but your not going to attract the investment needed in our location sadly.

Only my point of view and I understand people wanting Freemo / docks but not for me.

The reason we won't attract investment is because we put obstacles in the way rather than try to accommodate and attract investment.  Your work colleague is spot on about down south, but that's because of a desire for their local authorities to see their area flourish.  It's not just down south, a fair few towns and cities have been listed in this thread as ones that have taken the bull by the horns and done something.

You are not actually saying something detrimental against our glorious council ? Just look at all the wonderful things that have been done in Grimsby-it all started with the knocking down of The Ship Hotel and the " Mucky Duck"

Quoted from AndyDarloFC

Just catching up with this thread, so from what I’ve read is that the Peaks Parkway ground is dead in the water and the next rumour is to have the ground and facilities at Freeman Street providing you got substantial investment?

Is there not a chance you could redevelop Blundell Park, modernise it?

As a fan of someone who seen his club fooked over by a much bigger ground than what the club could afford or have the fan base for, I wouldn’t wanna see another team close to my heart go mammaries up because one owner has the belief that when you build a bigger ground, that the crowds will suddenly appear.

Is there no chance that Fenty will call a meeting with the fans, council, media or whatever to iron out any finer details and discuss possible options moving forward.

It would be nice to think that Mr Fenty would engage in a positive manner with the fans to move things forward. I sent a message to Chris Lewis at Extreme a little while back asking if there was any way in which the fans/engagement with the fans could help - I haven't had a reply.

Unfortunately, for what seem to be a variety of reasons, Mr Fenty only likes the cash that the fans spend rather than liking the fans themselves. We seem to be a necessary evil that the club has to put up with and our representative body, The Mariners Trust, has to pay for a seat at the table.

What Mr Fenty/the board/Extreme need to understand is that the fans actually do want the best for GTFC and most fans, myself included, believe them when they say that the club can't survive financially whilst we remain at BP. So, what can we do to help?