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Quoted from Les Brechin

If the ground was build on the land where the flats used to be behind Freeman Street, then we'd need to dratically develop Freeman Street itself.

Grimsby has a bad enough reputation for being a dump without taking away fans down Freeman Street as it is now.

I imagine the top end would be largely flattened (at least on the flats side, so away fans wouldn't be taken down Freeman Street as we now know.it. The whole idea of the New Town deal is regeneration so I would hope the whole of Freemo would see some benefit. And most away fans will be happy with a town centre ground and not an out of town one I should think. I know which sort of away ground I prefer.

I voted for the Freeman St area, i would have preferred Great Coates as a location with a railway station & motorway next to it. Peakes Parkway only works due to the spacious land allowing to build lots of houses & this in effect pays a great deal towards a new stadium, the flats area in central Grimsby is easier for those who live North,South,West,& East of that, great bus routes, motorway close by & Grimsby Docks & New Clee railway stations, bars in Grimsby & Cleethorpes just a bus or train ride away, all of the things Peakes parkway don't have, but the flats area will not provide the house building money. I am almost sure that the flats area is not big enough for the training grounds & other bits required to complete a modern day football/business stadium, well that's my opinion.

Quoted from jimgtfc

Would like to hear the opinions of the people who have voted for Peaks Parkway. Not having a go at them at all as I still see it as an option, just in the aid of a reasoned debate as all I’ve read is about people favouring Freeman street.

Is'nt the issue with Freeman street that the sheer number of different land owners make it unfeasible, while the Parkway only has one landowner therefore making it a much easier and thereby realistic proposal?

Quoted from Swansea_Mariner

Is'nt the issue with Freeman street that the sheer number of different land owners make it unfeasible, while the Parkway only has one landowner therefore making it a much easier and thereby realistic proposal?

What the council want usually the council gets,end of

Quoted from jimgtfc

Would like to hear the opinions of the people who have voted for Peaks Parkway. Not having a go at them at all as I still see it as an option, just in the aid of a reasoned debate as all I’ve read is about people favouring Freeman street.

Peakes Parkway was the best option two years ago and nothing has changed in my opinion. It is central to the whole of NEL, is big enough for the whole development with plenty of room for expansion if needed and despite the protesters onjections it will cause far less traffic chaos than putting it in Freemo where far more will have to negotiate Victoria St/Fred Ward Way and Hainton Ave.

Quoted from barralad

Peakes Parkway was the best option two years ago and nothing has changed in my opinion. It is central to the whole of NEL, is big enough for the whole development with plenty of room for expansion if needed and despite the protesters onjections it will cause far less traffic chaos than putting it in Freemo where far more will have to negotiate Victoria St/Fred Ward Way and Hainton Ave.

I think that might be the case looking at the stadium in isolation, but the Freemo suggestion is part of a wider regeneration project.

Quoted from barralad

Peakes Parkway was the best option two years ago and nothing has changed in my opinion. It is central to the whole of NEL, is big enough for the whole development with plenty of room for expansion if needed and despite the protesters onjections it will cause far less traffic chaos than putting it in Freemo where far more will have to negotiate Victoria St/Fred Ward Way and Hainton Ave.

I don't buy the traffic chaos argument and never will do. It will be busier for a 1-2 hours every other week, so what! As Nigel Lowther rightly said on the radio the other day, focus on the finish line and not on the hurdles.

It's time for John Fenty to put his head above the parapet and state his position on this.

If feasible, it HAS to be Freemo

A stadium would just be one part of it though, as the whole area is an eyesore compared to how it was a few years ago

Not enough people in Grimsby support GTFC for it ever to happen unless it can be shown to improve the area overall and benefit the wider community, and what a great “gateway” from the A180 it could be

Of course it needs lots of faith, imagination, and money to ever make it happen.

But close your eyes and think how fantastic it could look :)

Quoted from barralad

Peakes Parkway was the best option two years ago and nothing has changed in my opinion. It is central to the whole of NEL, is big enough for the whole development with plenty of room for expansion if needed and despite the protesters onjections it will cause far less traffic chaos than putting it in Freemo where far more will have to negotiate Victoria St/Fred Ward Way and Hainton Ave.

It was only the ‘best’ option because of the size of land needed for the massive housing development though.

PP is bad enough during the day without sticking 800+ houses next to it, that entire road is going to be gridlocked ignoring any traffic to/from the stadium on match days.

I’m afraid the man at the top pushing for PP is doing it more for selfish reasons (getting his benign loans back) than he is for the good of the football club and the town as a whole.

He either needs to get on board with something that will benefit the whole town or step aside.

Quoted Text

I’m afraid the man at the top pushing for PP is doing it more for selfish reasons (getting his benign loans back) than he is for the good of the football club and the town as a whole.

Nail. Head.

I was very uneasy about PP because of this but just went along with it as want the job done.

If the council are PUSHING for a stadium in location X we should take heed as all we've had for 20 years is resistance and hurdles from them.

They clearly see a way to actualise with the regeneration funding available.

12 months ago I’d of said PP because there was still a glimmer of hope it could happen. But 12 months on with absolutely no update from the club then if it’s do-able then make it freemo.

Do we need a new stadium? Absolutely!! The current one is not and has not been fit for purpose for a couple of decades at least.

Despite lots of "press inches" from many potential stake holders I have absolute zero confidence that it will get built in the next 10 years.

If it does with JF and the boys it will be state of the fart rather than state of the art as everything about this regime is as the Yanks would say "low rent".

I'd personally love it to be Freemo as that's the part of the Town where I grew up but I worry that if it got built there or anywhere else in the Town most weeks we wouldn't get massively more home support than we do know as the on the pitch we have been poor overall and off it .....well I don't see much to motivate an extra few thousand to turn up each week.

Quoted from Grim74

12 months ago I’d of said PP because there was still a glimmer of hope it could happen. But 12 months on with absolutely no update from the club then if it’s do-able then make it freemo.

I feel exactly the same now.

The poll is clearly sending out a message to the council/club that Freemo is now the preferred option on here.

Can I add another location ?

I will tell you why first,

Our away support is fantastic and 900 fans make more noise than 4,000 home ones,

So I propose having it sited at Bury St Edmunds Suffolk,

We could merge with Bury Town the local team and will be in travelling distance for the London lads and also handy for the ones living in the Midlands.

Also its just up the road from me and Swin so we could get a season ticket.

Before you all say that's another stupid idea Pete.

I am only joking,

We are down at the moment but we will get back up again because that's what we do.

As mentioned above, the silence coming from those in the know is deafening. Once again, the supporters are being treated like muppets, rather apt when we have the likes of Waldorf and statler in charge.

The club could get some got PR brownie points here by just keeping us all involved and telling us where we are with regards to developments.

If it isn't happening, just fu(king tell us!

But surely this a complete about face by the council!. Didn't they , along with the club, do a study to find the best site and PP was the preferred one by GTFC and The Council! Whichever site they choose the bottom line is that the club can't afford a new ground and the Council would never financially help the club to build it so we remain in limbo. The ground will slowly deteriorate until certain parts are condemned ( the floodlights are close to that now ) and Blundell Park ceases to exist as such, not with a bang but with a whimper.

New Stadium you say....

[img]https://i.imgur.com/iiErBW3.gif[/img]

Quoted from rancido

But surely this a complete about face by the council!. Didn't they , along with the club, do a study to find the best site and PP was the preferred one by GTFC and The Council! Whichever site they choose the bottom line is that the club can't afford a new ground and the Council would never financially help the club to build it so we remain in limbo. The ground will slowly deteriorate until certain parts are condemned ( the floodlights are close to that now ) and Blundell Park ceases to exist as such, not with a bang but with a whimper.

Get up to speed on this. It was a biased report solely using data provided by Fenty to get what he wanted. I think a truely independent study sould have given a diferent location..PP didnt even make the local plan

Quoted from realist

Get up to speed on this. It was a biased report solely using data provided by Fenty to get what he wanted. I think a truely independent study sould have given a diferent location..PP didnt even make the local plan

So you are categorically stating that The Council had no input at all about the ground study and PP wasn't part of their preferred choices?

Quoted from rancido

But surely this a complete about face by the council!. Didn't they , along with the club, do a study to find the best site and PP was the preferred one by GTFC and The Council! Whichever site they choose the bottom line is that the club can't afford a new ground and the Council would never financially help the club to build it so we remain in limbo. The ground will slowly deteriorate until certain parts are condemned ( the floodlights are close to that now ) and Blundell Park ceases to exist as such, not with a bang but with a whimper.

Maybe. But that was years ago. When the facts on the ground have change, you need to be prepared to change course. Besides, there has been no sign of a commercial proposal let alone a planning application for Peaks Parkway. Clearly the commercial case isn't there.

Whether or not the public sector would part fund a stadium remains to be seen. Maybe someone out there knows what sort of funds are available that a football stadium might qualify for. A publicly owned facility that is used most days for community purposes, and match days for football, might be something that could be supported by public money.

I'm baffled by this talk of Mr Wheatley saying they are trying to push Town toward Freeman Street, when a Telegraph article as recent as April said totally the opposite.

https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/grimsby-town-stadium-freeman-street-1463482

Unless the issue is about how much land GTFC are requiring for the development, and scaling it down would make it feasible at the Freemo site?

All we do know is that the two sides, namely the GTFC board and the Council seem to be singing from a different song sheet.

Quoted from ginnywings

I'm baffled by this talk of Mr Wheatley saying they are trying to push Town toward Freeman Street, when a Telegraph article as recent as April said totally the opposite.

https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/grimsby-town-stadium-freeman-street-1463482

Unless the issue is about how much land GTFC are requiring for the development, and scaling it down would make it feasible at the Freemo site?

All we do know is that the two sides, namely the GTFC board and the Council seem to be singing from a different song sheet.

I heard previously that the club were hellbent on having training pitches alongside the new ground. Now that isn’t likely at Freemo because of the room and I heard it said that Clee Fields was going to be redeveloped to include the GTFC training facilities and community pitches?

I would go as far as saying the stadium can be the catalyst to getting the much needed regeneration of the Freemo area rather than the stadium being the ‘add on’ that it would have been at PP.

I know others have said that Great Coates was the best location but I cannot help but feel we dodged a bullet there. Out of town stadium is a big no no for me despite being close to the A180. Anyway that has long since died

The article talks about enabling developments as well as training pitches etc so I guess as Cloudy suggests that maybe if we needed less space then maybe that's a game-changer?

Quoted from Rodley Mariner

The article talks about enabling developments as well as training pitches etc so I guess as Cloudy suggests that maybe if we needed less space then maybe that's a game-changer?

Yeah, i alluded to that in my post. I was under the impression that PP was arrived at by all parties, but that is now looking not to be the case. One has to wonder why the club are so stuck on PP, if the council are saying that Freemo is a possibility? I have my theories on why that might be, but i will keep them to myself.

Quoted from ginnywings

Yeah, i alluded to that in my post. I was under the impression that PP was arrived at by all parties, but that is now looking not to be the case. One has to wonder why the club are so stuck on PP, if the council are saying that Freemo is a possibility? I have my theories on why that might be, but i will keep them to myself.

I think we could all have guess or two at that and they'd probably be pretty similar!

Quoted from HertsGTFC

Do we need a new stadium? Absolutely!! The current one is not and has not been fit for purpose for a couple of decades at least.

Despite lots of "press inches" from many potential stake holders I have absolute zero confidence that it will get built in the next 10 years.

If it does with JF and the boys it will be state of the fart rather than state of the art as everything about this regime is as the Yanks would say "low rent".

I'd personally love it to be Freemo as that's the part of the Town where I grew up but I worry that if it got built there or anywhere else in the Town most weeks we wouldn't get massively more home support than we do know as the on the pitch we have been poor overall and off it .....well I don't see much to motivate an extra few thousand to turn up each week.

I agree. It is imperative that Fenty has nothing to do with the new stadium. Can you imagine it - a half baked, cheap as chips fudge - unless someone else is paying of course, and even then if he had anything to do with it it would be a disaster.

Quoted from grimsby pete

Can I add another location ?

I will tell you why first,

Our away support is fantastic and 900 fans make more noise than 4,000 home ones,

So I propose having it sited at Bury St Edmunds Suffolk,

We could merge with Bury Town the local team and will be in travelling distance for the London lads and also handy for the ones living in the Midlands.

Also its just up the road from me and Swin so we could get a season ticket.

Before you all say that's another stupid idea Pete.

I am only joking,

We are down at the moment but we will get back up again because that's what we do.

I might go if it's in Ipswich Pete but given the crap they are dishing up at the moment I wouldn't go as far as Bury St Edmunds to see them ;)

(seriously will I see you at Cambridge and Colchester mate? Although Colchester is Good Friday we could be down by then))

Quoted from ginnywings

I'm baffled by this talk of Mr Wheatley saying they are trying to push Town toward Freeman Street, when a Telegraph article as recent as April said totally the opposite.

https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/grimsby-town-stadium-freeman-street-1463482

Unless the issue is about how much land GTFC are requiring for the development, and scaling it down would make it feasible at the Freemo site?

All we do know is that the two sides, namely the GTFC board and the Council seem to be singing from a different song sheet.

As someone who has worked both with and against Councillor Wheatley I think you right to be baffled. The Council were the ones who offered the Peaks Parkway land to the club in the first place thereby resurrecting the whole issue (to the good I might add). All I've seen that suggests a change of heart was when the Labour candidate for Park Ward in the recent local elections pledged to fight against a stadium in a site that the ruling Labour administration had offered. A stand point that judging by his subsequent failure to get elected I wasn't alone in being incredulous about. There is a titanic local political struggle going on at the moment between the incumbent Labour Party and a resurgent Conservative Party who came within 42 votes of having an equal number of councillors on NEL council recently. To a certain extent GTFC (the club not the hierarchy) and its fans are victims of this struggle. Councillor Wheatley represents Labour and Councillor Fenty doesn't. I'm not saying nothing has been said in relation to GTFC being moved to Freemo but the scope that Councillor Wheatley has for political point scoring on this issue is enormous and judging by some of the posts in this thread it has fallen on fertile ground.

Quoted from barralad

As someone who has worked both with and against Councillor Wheatley I think you right to be baffled. The Council were the ones who offered the Peaks Parkway land to the council in the first place thereby resurrecting the whole issue (to the good I might add). All I've seen that suggests a change of heart was when the Labour candidate for Park Ward in the recent local elections pledged to fight against a stadium in a site that the ruling Labour administration had offered. A stand point that judging by his subsequent failure to get elected I wasn't alone in being incredulous about. There is a titanic local political struggle going on at the moment between the incumbent Labour Party and a resurgent Conservative Party who came within 42 votes of having an equal number of councillors on NEL council recently. To a certain extent GTFC (the club not the hierarchy) and its fans are victims of this struggle. Councillor Wheatley represents Labour and Councillor Fenty doesn't. I'm not saying nothing has been said in relation to GTFC being moved to Freemo but the scope that Councillor Wheatley has for political point scoring on this issue is enormous and judging by some of the posts in this thread it has fallen on fertile ground.

And this is why despite it being the chosen location for many we should not get involved with politicians

Quoted from HertsGTFC

And this is why despite it being the chosen location for many we should not get involved with politicians

Sadly local government rules dictate that it is impossible to implement any major building/infrastructure changes without involving local government.

Quoted from barralad

Sadly local government rules dictate that it is impossible to implement any major building/infrastructure changes without involving local government.

Yes I get that, but if your funding depends on a politician being your partner it will be a painful process. First and foremost these people are politicians!

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

I agree. It is imperative that Fenty has nothing to do with the new stadium. Can you imagine it - a half baked, cheap as chips fudge - unless someone else is paying of course, and even then if he had anything to do with it it would be a disaster.

I'm sure I saw the for sale down the prom a couple of weeks ago.

Quoted from ginnywings

Yeah, i alluded to that in my post. I was under the impression that PP was arrived at by all parties, but that is now looking not to be the case. One has to wonder why the club are so stuck on PP, if the council are saying that Freemo is a possibility? I have my theories on why that might be, but i will keep them to myself.

Things change.That was what 3 years ago? Before the towers came down, and while there was a twinkle of a hope there'd be enough money in 'enabling development' to fund enough of the stadium to make it sustainable for the club.

That's not to say there isn't political capital to be made out of the new situation.

Quoted from Swansea_Mariner

Is'nt the issue with Freeman street that the sheer number of different land owners make it unfeasible, while the Parkway only has one landowner therefore making it a much easier and thereby realistic proposal?

That's why I voted Peaks Parkway. Are the Council suggesting Council owned land, similar to Peaks Parkway around Freeman Street may become available then? If that's the case, I'd prefer Freemo. Though the enabling development may be an issue, there won't be too much room to build houses / retail outlets will there?

Quoted from Ipswin

I might go if it's in Ipswich Pete but given the crap they are dishing up at the moment I wouldn't go as far as Bury St Edmunds to see them ;)

(seriously will I see you at Cambridge and Colchester mate? Although Colchester is Good Friday we could be down by then))

I will see you at Cambridge Swin but it depends when I have my other knee replaced it could be around Easter so will let you know nearer the time mate.

Would there be enough room for adequate parking at any Freeman Street site? If not we'd just be spending millions on moving many of the match day issues a few hundred yards down the road.

Quoted from MarinerMal

Would there be enough room for adequate parking at any Freeman Street site? If not we'd just be spending millions on moving many of the match day issues a few hundred yards down the road.

I'm fairly sure that if it were to go ahead a solution will have been found for this.

Quoted from MarinerMal

Would there be enough room for adequate parking at any Freeman Street site? If not we'd just be spending millions on moving many of the match day issues a few hundred yards down the road.

Maybe less of a problem because fewer people live round there now?

One thing we've all overlooked in all this speculation about Freeman's (Freemen's?) Park is what do people living on the East Marsh think. I know there's a couple of posters who used to live there, but anyone living there now? What do you think?

Interesting to note that Rotherham United's ground, built just three years ago, has ZERO public parking on match days. Zilch. Nada.

Being town centre there should be much less need for car parking than there would be at PP (and that BP currently does), with all local bus routes converging on the town centre.Then it's either a 15 minute walk to the stadium or jump on another bus for a quick 5 minute shuttle. A few hundred bike spaces and it will be like days of yore and we, GTFC, will rest easy knowing we have saved the planet. Don't sweat the small stuff people. I'd probably continue to park on Daubney Street and walk down, keep the tradition alive!

Being a little bit more serious for a second, I imagine multi-storey would be the way to go but this would of course be provisioned for at the planning stage.