Redevelopment Closer Than Ever?

[Winslow Lee]

This probably needs to go on here to make sure we get to 2,000 pages 

I can remember at the time that I wasn't a fan of the 'local' option but hindsight is a wonderful thing. We would be better off having a group who purely have the clubs best interests at heart.
You have to accept that football chairmen are a different breed and at the majority of clubs you are not going to make a profit, especially at our level, unless there are development opportunities involved or you fly up the leagues.
We need to cut the ties with the land and find a model that isn't going to lead to millions of debt. We have managed it a couple of seasons. There is so much luck involved but when KT and co decide to move on we need to try and adopt an alternative approach.
Get ya buckets out!

Outside of the development the debt as long as it is just director loan is pretty irrelevant. It will only ever be paid back through redevelopment profit, lower league clubs are loss makers so it won’t ever be paid pack otherwise and will have to be written off if the owners want to offload the club.

Should the club be taken over by a group with limited finance, without the ability to fund the loses the club often makes then I’d imagine the player budget would have to be a lot more cautious and reduced than it currently is which I’m sure would go down well!.

[Melbourne Cobbler]

The reality in most cases is that football club ownership is nothing more than a ludicrously expensive ego trip conducted under intense scrutiny. Sounds appealing?

[GrangeParkCobbler]

Outside of the development the debt as long as it is just director loan is pretty irrelevant. It will only ever be paid back through redevelopment profit, lower league clubs are loss makers so it won’t ever be paid pack otherwise and will have to be written off if the owners want to offload the club.

Should the club be taken over by a group with limited finance, without the ability to fund the loses the club often makes then I’d imagine the player budget would have to be a lot more cautious and reduced than it currently is which I’m sure would go down well!.

I understand your point, but the amount of director loan is relevant. Had KT and DB managed to get the land deal done when they had only put in a million then there would have been far more money left over for "the Club".....now they are £7m in, what benefit do you see for the Club when, or rather if, a deal is signed off?

A finished stand....which will mean 16 boxes and some cladding, a car park and a tented village. No overall capacity increase, no tidying up of the rest of the ground...... hardly what we all envisaged is it?

What happened to the 24/7 income, the hotel, the Conference centre, you know the things that were meant to drive this club up to a new level of sustainability?

[Shoemender]

I understand your point, but the amount of director loan is relevant. Had KT and DB managed to get the land deal done when they had only put in a million then there would have been far more money left over for "the Club".....now they are £7m in, what benefit do you see for the Club when, or rather if, a deal is signed off?

A finished stand....which will mean 16 boxes and some cladding, a car park and a tented village. No overall capacity increase, no tidying up of the rest of the ground...... hardly what we all envisaged is it?

What happened to the 24/7 income, the hotel, the Conference centre, you know the things that were meant to drive this club up to a new level of sustainability?

KT/DB,  NBC, Fukking lib dems and up to now West Northants council. When are they coming to the party

[singcobb]

I understand your point, but the amount of director loan is relevant. Had KT and DB managed to get the land deal done when they had only put in a million then there would have been far more money left over for "the Club".....now they are £7m in, what benefit do you see for the Club when, or rather if, a deal is signed off?

A finished stand....which will mean 16 boxes and some cladding, a car park and a tented village. No overall capacity increase, no tidying up of the rest of the ground...... hardly what we all envisaged is it?

What happened to the 24/7 income, the hotel, the Conference centre, you know the things that were meant to drive this club up to a new level of sustainability?

Where did that idea come from?

[Terryfenwickatemyhamster]

Was just thinking with all the bollox talk about fan ownership, this might be worth a read. I know it’s an old article. Most of you might have read it already. What strikes me, is that no matter who runs the club, it’s going nowhere without either a very rich benefactor, or the gift of that land to do what we want with it.

It takes me back to my original point, from ages ago now. The emphasis has to be on the council to facilitate change. Surely they have to be capable of brokering a deal that works for them and the club. At the moment, nobody’s winning.

https://www.exetercityfc.co.uk/news/2017/may/work-to-begin-on-3.5-million-stadium-improvements/

[guest49]

Where did that idea come from?

That guy who robbed misplaced the money. Can't remember if KT has particularly mentioned hotels etc.

[guest3429]

What strikes me, is that no matter who runs the club, it’s going nowhere without either a very rich benefactor, or the gift of that land to do what we want with it.

It takes me back to my original point, from ages ago now. The emphasis has to be on the council to facilitate change. Surely they have to be capable of brokering a deal that works for them and the club. At the moment, nobody’s winning.

Absolutely this. The desire to develop the area has to primarily come from the council, nobody has a chance without that. Sadly they are rabbits caught in headlights and would rather just let the grass grow and put out a maintenance tender. Much safer to sit on your hands.

If they called KT and said enough is enough, we all need to recoup, offered him x acres attached to the stadium lease with the nod on planning for an outstanding hotel complex, an impressive, eye catching building of architectural merit that brings positive PR for Northampton, connected to the newly developed stadium. Go fund it. At least he would have something to go on!

Sadly the record shows they will not be so bold but sit and wait. They very nearly passed planning for 255 "Bellinge" houses to be built, right up up to the stadium by DC. That proves their absolute lack of vision, such a pathetic plan would've been the death of the area and the stadium itself.

Even a billionaire would give up with this fear, lack of foresight and constant obfuscation and go develop elsewhere.

Don't join the trust, join the council!

[Carton Lid]

 

Do join the trust, don't join the council!

There I've corrected it for you. Seriously you have to question the vision of some people, we had a County Council that bankrupts it's self, you would have thought that was a fair reason to not to re-elect them  but obviously a blue rosette changes the way some people see them

[singcobb]

The problem is the council has no vision not just for Sixfields but for the whole of the town and county. The town centre is a joke, nothing but pound shops, charity shops and beggars. No vision for regeneration, growth or god forbid making the place somewhere nice to live. I live overseas now, but everytime I come back it just seems to me that a little more of the facade has crumbled and the cracks have grown. I know lots of people who would rather get their passports out and cross the border to go to Market Harborough, a town that forty years ago was as shít hole. Without a cohesive plan that involves the whole thing the council will just contribute to the stagnation of the town and county and unfortunately that will mean any plans/ideas for Sxifields.

Unfortunately I can see us having this discussion in another five years.

[Deepcut Cobbler]

The problem is the council has no vision not just for Sixfields but for the whole of the town and county. The town centre is a joke, nothing but pound shops, charity shops and beggars. No vision for regeneration, growth or god forbid making the place somewhere nice to live. I live overseas now, but everytime I come back it just seems to me that a little more of the facade has crumbled and the cracks have grown. I know lots of people who would rather get their passports out and cross the border to go to Market Harborough, a town that forty years ago was as shít hole. Without a cohesive plan that involves the whole thing the council will just contribute to the stagnation of the town and county and unfortunately that will mean any plans/ideas for Sxifields.

Unfortunately I can see us having this discussion in another five years.

Adnitts closing...will the last one to leave the town centre please hand the keys to the next charity/pound shop and switch off the lights...

[guest49]

The problem is the council has no vision not just for Sixfields but for the whole of the town and county. The town centre is a joke, nothing but pound shops, charity shops and beggars. No vision for regeneration, growth or god forbid making the place somewhere nice to live. I live overseas now, but everytime I come back it just seems to me that a little more of the facade has crumbled and the cracks have grown. I know lots of people who would rather get their passports out and cross the border to go to Market Harborough, a town that forty years ago was as shít hole. Without a cohesive plan that involves the whole thing the council will just contribute to the stagnation of the town and county and unfortunately that will mean any plans/ideas for Sxifields.

Unfortunately I can see us having this discussion in another five years.

It's not a Northampton issue, it's a High Street issue. There is barely a vibrant town centre left in the country, even central London is half vacant.
It's all about online and retail parks. The town centre is effectively a white elephant, I can't think of many reasons to go there. The places that do better are usually smaller towns with local independents, although everywhere has obviously suffered the past 12 months.

[Terryfenwickatemyhamster]

Not really redev. But I see the pitch is being relaid...

[LawfordCob]

Not really redev. But I see the pitch is being relaid...

I don't know? If I remember correctly one of the first things that happened after the money came in was the pitch was relaid? (might be wrong there). Maybe that's where the missing cash is hidden.. 

[JollyCobbler]

I don't know? If I remember correctly one of the first things that happened after the money came in was the pitch was relaid? (might be wrong there). Maybe that's where the missing cash is hidden.. 

I reckon the missing money is buried just behind the East Stand. They knew nobody would be digging  up around there anytime soon.

[1971cobbler]

Not really redev. But I see the pitch is being relaid...

Wasn't there an article released mid way through the season that said that the pitch should have been replaced at the end of the previous season, but the play offs and short turn around prevented it from taking place?

[1971cobbler]

I reckon the missing money is buried just behind the East Stand. They knew nobody would be digging  up around there anytime soon.

Or on either wing of the pitch?

[singcobb]

I reckon the missing money is buried just behind the East Stand. They knew nobody would be digging  up around there anytime soon.

They'll find it along with Jimmy Hoffa and Lord Lucan.

[BackOfTheNet]

I see Nunn has been chosen as leader of the new unitary council. If memory serves me correctly, isn't he someone who's been in talks about the redevelopment in the past? Not sure if that makes his appointment a good or a bad thing though...

[Saint Cobbler]

It's not a Northampton issue, it's a High Street issue. There is barely a vibrant town centre left in the country, even central London is half vacant.
It's all about online and retail parks. The town centre is effectively a white elephant, I can't think of many reasons to go there. The places that do better are usually smaller towns with local independents, although everywhere has obviously suffered the past 12 months.

It was always previously a Northampton issue though. The Council commenced the destruction of Northampton Town Centre (and the rest of the town for that matter) in the late 1960's.