An announcement on the ground move...

[StopfordianWCFC]

Given that the land is directly zoned in the plan for a football stadium many of these 'nuisance' arguments will have been raised and considered by the Inspector at the Local Plan Inquiry. As one of the poster's has noted, they are yesterday's arguments.

I wonder if the club will have any spare cash after purchase of the ground - I hope we do, otherwise it will be another financial balencing act following our move.

[prestonwcfc]

Absolutely great news, and actually about 2 miles closer for me to attend a home game !!!!!! ;D

[prestonwcfc]

Oh and I should add surely if Worcester is to expand the motorway would be a natural border. Seeing that the cattle market is one side and the motorway the other surely putting commercial propoerties on this part of the site makes sense.

[LeedsWCFC]

Visits to Tything pubs will have to be done a lot earlier in order to get to games on time.

[darrellbutler]

I will miss being in the Cavalier until 2:55

[suv]

carsten said:

gobbycow said:

It should be named after someone to do with the club. Be it past or present.

It'll probably carry a sponsors name. How about The Boddy Shop Stadium?

"The Boddy Shop Stadium"..........." The Theatre of Creams"!!!

[Tim Munslow]

Has a name been chosen?

wrote GC above; all joking aside, as I see it, there can only be one of two possible names:

The St Modwen Stadium or New St George's Lane

Both have a saint in them, so we'll have to be careful we don't get nicknamed The Saints.

The devil is always in the detail of course, so can I just ask where we find the £8m apparently needed to buy the stadium when finished?

[alwaysnextyear]

Is SGL really worth £ 9 million ? This being the reported 8m to buy the Stadium off St Modwen and 1m to write off the current debts. Wish I had land to sell !
As I mentioned in a previous posting, the need for transparent and concise clarity regarding the financial implications and future financial committments are vital from a PR perspective.
The one saving grace is that with St Modwen in your corner, evidence shows that "big " business has never appeared to have too many problems building what they want,where they want in Worcester ( despite the meek protestations of councillors ). As for local plans and enabling developments, councillors can always vote out what they voted in, and with an overcrowded County Hall not too far away, I reckon an office or two might be on the horizon.

[Tim Munslow]

I can't believe it's worth that much; in the latest accounts for 2005/6 it's shown at a book value of £1 million.

It can't have gone up that much surely?

[mossysboots]

Ground name ideas; boreing but simple, based on location: NUNNERY WAY.

Would quite like ST. GEORGES STADIUM, but I think thats a bit too grand for a 6,000 capacity ground.

Keep it simple; ST. GEORGES?

It would be nice to take some of the history of the Lane with us, but I suppose some people would like to make a totally fresh start.

[sheffield]

The value of the SGL site will depend on what St Modwen think they can get on the site (in terms of numbers of houses/flats/whatever else), so presumably their valuation will depend on this figure (which of course will have been discussed with the planners).

The value of the land without planning, will perhaps be worth far less - so by acquiring Planning Permission/assurances from the council they will get planning, the value of the land may potentially increase hugely.

For example - a 0.1 acre site without Planning may be worth £10,000 perhaps - but this may be far more if someone attaches a 'hope value' to it - the hope that it will be worth more if Planning for a single dwelling is achievable.

[darrellbutler]

I fancy St Modwen's Lane.

[alwaysnextyear]

Sheffield, as I read it but I stand to be corrected, St Modwen are not buying or having anything to do with developing SGL. SGL will be sold off to whichever builder pays the most to put houses, flats on it ( no problem with planning permission as SGL is in a built up residential area ). St Modwen are developing the Nunnery Way site of which part is the football stadium.

[Tim Munslow]

That's exactly how I read it too; aren't Miller Homes the preferred developer for SGL?

[wh]

Here is the video Worcester News has put together from the day.

tinyurl.com/2vke8m

Great effort today by the Worcester News, they had 4 people covering the day.

[wh]

timmunslow said:

That's exactly how I read it too; aren't Miller Homes the preferred developer for SGL?

The sale as yet to be signed but it cant be too far off and as I understand the developer has yet to be named (didn't Miller Homes period of exclusivity expire?, could be wrong I usually am).

But rest assured the club will generate enough money from the sale of SGL and the enabling development at Nunnery Way to clear the existing debts and pay for the new stadium.

[sheffield]

alwaysnextyear - Fair enough, I'm not totally clued in on the full plans.

Either way I would imagine St Modwens valuation would be the same - whoever the successful developer is, is going to look to value the site in the same way (the fairly obvious 'site value once completed minus site costs minus building costs equals profit) -

On a small project these would be roughly a third ie
Finished house - £150,000 through an estate agent

which would break down to -
£50,000 - Profit
£50,000 - Building Costs
£50,000 - Site Value
(working backwards, obviously)

I have no idea how to value a site of this scale, but I imagine it's done with the same methodology, only a different percentage for building costs/profit

[Tim Munslow]

Wayne - re your message

"Here is the video Worcester News has put together from the day."

I've had a look at that and it is most positive; I'd recommend everyone to have a look. I shall walk a little taller from today.

[Deleted]

A big "Well done" to Dave Boddy and all the other WCFC officials who have made this possible.

I've probably missed something somewhere, but are the proposed conference/leisure activities just the events etc that will occur in and at the stadium itself? Will WCFC get any income from any other part of the development? And will St Mowlem take a % of WCFC's income from the venture?

Leeds WCFC made a very good point about obtaining glowing references from the neighbours at SGL. I wonder what the objectors to Nunnery Way would prefer to a stadium? A massive hypermarket open 24/7 with thousands of cars and lorries pounding up and down all day and night? A biological research centre? Or maybe a night club pumping out bass and drunks all night long?

[alwaysnextyear]

Ealing - what are fish doing in night clubs ?

[villager]

ealing said:

A big "Well done" to Dave Boddy and all the other WCFC officials who have made this possible.

Indeed ... well done for all the hard work.

Still pinching myself though.

[Deleted]

"what are fish doing in night clubs" - Listening to sole music.

[Bstander]

"The Boddy Shop Stadium"..........." The Theatre of Creams"!!!


Priceless SUV

[Croc]

one thing to come from the new ground and the revenue generation streams:

would it be pertinent to instead of having a natural grass pitch (which would cut up during the winter / bad weather) - why not have a FIFA 2-star All-Weather surface instead?

It can be hired out during the week to local teams, etc. - thereby bringing in more cash - the pitch won't deteriorate, and we won't get any matches postponed...

Dundalk use it for their main pitch, as do a few clubs in Norway - and is also installed in the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.

dundalkfc.com/pitch.html

[suv]

mossysboots said:

Ground name ideas; boreing but simple, based on location: NUNNERY WAY.

Would quite like ST. GEORGES STADIUM, but I think thats a bit too grand for a 6,000 capacity ground.

Keep it simple; ST. GEORGES?

It would be nice to take some of the history of the Lane with us, but I suppose some people would like to make a totally fresh start.

Just add the word "New" like the current trend.
the New Wembley, The New Den, The New Bucks Head,

The New St Georges

[gobby cow]

Seeing how sponsors seem to get the stadium named after them, I expect it will be Modwen something. There are also the stands to name.

I trust the ladies toilets will be named after me, after my campaign for better facilities for the superior sex!

[dave]

Whilst I would like the club to run a competition to name the stadium, I think in reality it would be better that the stadium be named by the highest bidding sponsor.

The financial details of the deal are still far from clear, and I doubt there will be any clarity forthcoming any time soon. However Wayne's comments above...

"But rest assured the club will generate enough money from the sale of SGL and the enabling development at Nunnery Way to clear the existing debts and pay for the new stadium. "

...are a slight concern for me. If we are relying on the enabling development to fund the move, and the new stadium cannot be built without achieving planning permission first for the development, then there are still no guarantees.

Can someone put my mind at rest and explain why this enabling development will definitely get the green light, when the last attempt was rejected? I accept having St Modwen in our corner is a massive plus when the fight with the objectors begins, but what else is so different this time around?

[dave]

At risk of answering my own question, I have just re-read the planning inspector's report from 2004 which was about a specific enabling development (B&Q).

It would appear from my reading that a more modest enabling development could be acceptable, but that the B&Q scheme was not acceptable. Given the more modest nature of enabling development, I would imagine that we would not have the same amount left over as invisaged with the B&Q scheme (£1.75m was to be kept in a Capital Reserve Fund once debts were cleared and a pub, fast food outlet and merchandising kiosks were paid for), but if we own our own ground and the balance sheet returns to zero, then that is still an excellent result and the club can look at ways that it can become a profit making business.

[carsten]

Nothing is for definite Dave but as I've said before places like Swansea Huddersfield Grimsby Salford Reds have all been in the same situation as us, and have all got planning permission despite the enabling development not adhering to planning policy.
It didnt happen last time as the Councillors took the decision not to go against the Inspectors findings. It was probably easy to make that decision last time round because they were hardly likely to face a costly legal battle with a skint football club. This time round they face a potentially very costly battle with a cash rich, asset rich highly experienced land developer and their highly paid legal counsel. Also the timing is pretty good with the objectors at Whittington having to decide if they can really put time and money into fighting both the St Modwen Stadium development and the J7 Waste Disposal Site.

[carsten]

timmunslow said:

I can't believe it's worth that much; in the latest accounts for 2005/6 it's shown at a book value of £1 million.

It can't have gone up that much surely?

Tim that is based on the last valuation of the land back in 1991.