Swindon Stadium

[RobMcCaffery 2,752]

There seems to be a fundamental inability to understand where the stadium customers originate from. The assumption seems to be that they are purely Swindon locals who will now joyfully choose to walk or cycle to the new stadium.

 

The line "the numbers and modes of transport will be monitored and reported" leads you to wonder exactly how the use of 'sustainable' transport will be policed and enforced. Will the operation of the stadium be threatened by closure or fines? How on earth will intending customers be coerced into using 'sustainable' transport.

 

The comments about public transport are highly valid. Unless the crowds attending the new stadium substantially increase on those using the present version I cannot see any bus operator putting on a bus service without heavy subsidy by the council - and this at a time when such subsidised services are being cut all across the country.

 

This whole scheme, tragically comes across as ill-considered, unworkable and thoroughly deserves being described as 'pie in the sky'.

[arnieg 3,652]

There seems to be a fundamental inability to understand where the stadium customers originate from. The assumption seems to be that they are purely Swindon locals who will now joyfully choose to walk or cycle to the new stadium.

 

The line "the numbers and modes of transport will be monitored and reported" leads you to wonder exactly how the use of 'sustainable' transport will be policed and enforced. Will the operation of the stadium be threatened by closure or fines? How on earth will intending customers be coerced into using 'sustainable' transport.

 

The comments about public transport are highly valid. Unless the crowds attending the new stadium substantially increase on those using the present version I cannot see any bus operator putting on a bus service without heavy subsidy by the council - and this at a time when such subsidised services are being cut all across the country.

 

This whole scheme, tragically comes across as ill-considered, unworkable and thoroughly deserves being described as 'pie in the sky'.

 

I bet they'll all be talking about 'modal share targets' on the terraces at Blunsdon next week!

[A ORLOV 8,628]

There seems to be a fundamental inability to understand where the stadium customers originate from. The assumption seems to be that they are purely Swindon locals who will now joyfully choose to walk or cycle to the new stadium.

 

The line "the numbers and modes of transport will be monitored and reported" leads you to wonder exactly how the use of 'sustainable' transport will be policed and enforced. Will the operation of the stadium be threatened by closure or fines? How on earth will intending customers be coerced into using 'sustainable' transport.

 

The comments about public transport are highly valid. Unless the crowds attending the new stadium substantially increase on those using the present version I cannot see any bus operator putting on a bus service without heavy subsidy by the council - and this at a time when such subsidised services are being cut all across the country.

 

This whole scheme, tragically comes across as ill-considered, unworkable and thoroughly deserves being described as 'pie in the sky'.

So you are confirming that the developers and council have not got a clue about the home location of the fan base

[Humphrey Appleby 13,961]

The line "the numbers and modes of transport will be monitored and reported" leads you to wonder exactly how the use of 'sustainable' transport will be policed and enforced. Will the operation of the stadium be threatened by closure or fines? How on earth will intending customers be coerced into using 'sustainable' transport.

They simply won't allow enough parking spaces to be built at the stadium, but far from forcing people to use alternative means of transport, it'll just discourage people from coming at all. I'd think a substantial number of Swindon fans will come from outlying areas where public transport is not viable, so it'll either mean finding nearby parking places (with the attendant risk of vandalism and council parking enforcement) or just not bothering.

 

Blunsdon is hardly inner-city Swindon even with the recent surrounding development. There's decent road access, so why can't people drive to the stadium - although of course the longer-term goal is to either put enough obstacles in the way of the new stadium ever being built, or ensure it's not viable so there's an excuse to eventually build more houses on the site.

[RobMcCaffery 2,752]

Blunsdon is hardly inner-city Swindon even with the recent surrounding development. There's decent road access, so why can't people drive to the stadium - although of course the longer-term goal is to either put enough obstacles in the way of the new stadium ever being built, or ensure it's not viable so there's an excuse to eventually build more houses on the site.

Precisely, HA. Car parking has always been the achilles heel of the whole scheme, initially planned for the centre green, now apparently to be scattered all over Swindon with some miraculous park and ride scheme or there being no need due to the supporters suddenly becoming the greenest sporting public in the country.

 

Anyone would believe that the stadium operators property developers didn't want the plans to be approved.

 

If you wanted to build houses rather than a stadium wouldn't you keep coming up with unacceptable or unworkable plans until finally someone gives in and allows you to complete the housing estate?

 

A few minutes on the BSF will show a certain green-ness amongst its members, but sadly not in the way required by this cock-eyed scheme.

 

The rat is beginning to smell rather strongly here.

 

(EDIT - Afterthought - of course you could require more car parking spaces are provided by reducing the number of houses being built ;-) The irony is that there is plenty of land around the site that could be made into car parking but I expect apart from the cost problem the land is green belt).

Edited July 27, 2016 by rmc

[A ORLOV 8,628]

Land around the site has been used before for temporary parking, when we had about 15,000 turn up for an International, England - USA I think, the speedway got the farmer across the road to open up his fields and hundreds of cars parked there. Also in those days the Speedway used to have an arrangement with the bus company to run buses from about 4 different points in the town. These days the local buses stop about 9pm so people can use them to get to speedway but have a long walk into North Swindon to get a bus back into town after the meetings.

More Robins fans these days travel in from Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and even Bristol and Reading, public transport is no good for any of them, then you have the fans from the away team who are not going to want to drive past the stadium to find a carpark in the middle of Swindon, then a bus back to the stadium.

There are places to park around the new site with a 10 min walk to the stadium but the planners do not want to encourage anyone to park in them.

I also understand that arrangements have been made for parking over and above the ludicrous number shown in the plans, which are close to the stadium, but so far no details of this has been published.

 

GI have also put plans in to modify and build around Poole Speedway, I wonder if Matt is aware of the history so far of the Swindon Stadium fiasco. Unfortunately like Swindon they do not own the stadium.

Edited July 27, 2016 by A ORLOV

[severnsider 197]

As you say public transport not helpful for me as travel 50 miles from west Gloucestershire

As you say public transport not helpful for me as travel 50 miles from west Gloucestershire

[A ORLOV 8,628]

As you say public transport not helpful for me as travel 50 miles from west Gloucestershire

 

Public transport for people living in Swindon is not helpful either as it is not cheap, inconvenient, and not the way most people want to travel.

Just imagine a rained off meeting and having to queue in the car park in the rain waiting for a bus, then getting from the bus to your car.

Edited July 27, 2016 by A ORLOV

[Ommer Mon 381]

Have to say I haven't gone into the detail of the application but why, if parking is such a problem, don't they provide a multi storey?

 

Probably ruin the outlook for all those houses in the Planners eyes I guess.

[RobMcCaffery 2,752]

Also in those days the Speedway used to have an arrangement with the bus company to run buses from about 4 different points in the town. These days the local buses stop about 9pm so people can use them to get to speedway but have a long walk into North Swindon to get a bus back into town after the meetings.

 

Those days of having a bus link to the stadium were before privatisation of the bus companies. Now a route must make money or have a direct local council subsidy. The days of providing a service rather than making a buck are long gone.

 

I travel down from Gloucestershire but without adequate parking I'll have to start looking further north for my speedway.

 

Taking a wider look, before one brick of the current stadium is touched there must be cast-iron guarantees that a viable replacement is already part-complete (ideally fully complete) and will have viable parking on site. If that means a few less houses and a little less of the enormous profit to be made by GI then so be it.

 

The fear has to be that the present stadium is felled but we still get these constant delays and re-applications before eventually the new stadium is declared unworkable due to these parking problems and quietly dropped.

 

I do hope I'm wrong but so far we have seen little to reassure these fears beyond words and claims that are not backed-up by documentation held in the public domain.

Edited July 28, 2016 by rmc

[Skidder1 7,650]

Land around the site has been used before for temporary parking, when we had about 15,000 turn up for an International, England - USA I think, the speedway got the farmer across the road to open up his fields and hundreds of cars parked there. Also in those days the Speedway used to have an arrangement with the bus company to run buses from about 4 different points in the town. These days the local buses stop about 9pm so people can use them to get to speedway but have a long walk into North Swindon to get a bus back into town after the meetings.

More Robins fans these days travel in from Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and even Bristol and Reading, public transport is no good for any of them, then you have the fans from the away team who are not going to want to drive past the stadium to find a carpark in the middle of Swindon, then a bus back to the stadium.

There are places to park around the new site with a 10 min walk to the stadium but the planners do not want to encourage anyone to park in them.

I also understand that arrangements have been made for parking over and above the ludicrous number shown in the plans, which are close to the stadium, but so far no details of this has been published.

 

GI have also put plans in to modify and build around Poole Speedway, I wonder if Matt is aware of the history so far of the Swindon Stadium fiasco. Unfortunately like Swindon they do not own the stadium.

Just to be clear GI have yet to submit any plans for improving/redeveloping Poole Stadium. These are due to be submitted in September to include an upgraded stadium for only Speedway and Greyhounds but NOT football.

 

The previous plans to re-locate the stadium within the same footprint of the Council-owned site, were submitted by Sandbanks=based property developer, former AFC chairman and (as of today) NOT major shareholder of Poole Town FC - Eddie Mitchell. His plans included bringing back Poole FC alongside the Pirates and the dogs, but crucially also including 500 dwellings (surprise, surprise exactly the number of homes referred to in the Poole Council plan!!) This scheme is NOT happening!!

 

Matt Ford has been involved in discussions with Clarke Osborne and the council to ensure that whatever the improvement plans include - they should not disrupt speedway from taking place. However I think most Pirate fans would like to see a new grandstand plus an upgrade of the 'terracing' on both bends 1-2 and 3-4.

 

We continue to live in hope and with a little trepidation.

[uk_martin 1,606]

... basically saying that transport to the stadium will need to be monitored and that they want a large number of attendees to use sustainable modes of transport, ..

 

If there is monitoring, that means that there will be record keeping. That means that there will be comparisons made between the numbers of people using sustainable transport and a target figure. The general mood amongst people here indicates that there will be a poor take-up of walking / cycling / public transport...so on the assumption that the target is not met, then what? Will the stadium have to close at some point 12-24 months after it is built because the "Green Agenda" is not being fulfilled?

 

So who, with that kind of uncertainty is going to invest in the cost of building a stadium in the first place?

[A ORLOV 8,628]

 

If there is monitoring, that means that there will be record keeping. That means that there will be comparisons made between the numbers of people using sustainable transport and a target figure. The general mood amongst people here indicates that there will be a poor take-up of walking / cycling / public transport...so on the assumption that the target is not met, then what? Will the stadium have to close at some point 12-24 months after it is built because the "Green Agenda" is not being fulfilled?

 

So who, with that kind of uncertainty is going to invest in the cost of building a stadium in the first place?

The Stadium is owned by GI and used primarily for dog racing, speedway rents it to run speedway.

They have no problem with numbers of fans for dogs as they only get a few there and could run it for dogs only if it came to it.

What I cannot find anywhere is any concerns from the greyhound owners.

Edited July 29, 2016 by A ORLOV

[uk_martin 1,606]

Would the stadium owners be concerned if speedway could not be run there and the rental income from Swindon Speedway not be earned?

[racers and royals 8,740]

Would the stadium owners be concerned if speedway could not be run there and the rental income from Swindon Speedway not be earned?

Shouldn`t think so- weren`t the original plans for the new stadium just for greyhounds- with Speedway excluded- and wasn`t it the uproar from the speedway fraternity that changed their mind ?