Post by Iron Webbo on Mar 9, 2015 17:31:00 GMT
D-DAY FOR NEW STADIUM HOPES?
Council's feasibility study - a crossroad in our history
We caught up with Chairman Lee Harding at the weekend and there appears to be some progress with the Club's hope of relocation to a new stadium.
We understand that Braintree District Council have received the results of their long awaited feasibility study into the possibility of relocating the Club from its existing Cressing Road home to a new purpose-built stadium, ready for the Football League, at land allocated in the Council's Core Strategy growth location at Panfield Lane.
Both parties have been working hard behind the scenes over recent months. In August last year, the Council completed the purchase from Essex County Council of the vacant land off Chapel Hill for the sum of £1.2 million.
The Club too have worked hard to maintain Vanarama Conference football, while striving to operate on a sensible financial footing and retain all their assets to put towards the cost of relocation. The Club currently own the stadium freehold and have a lease on the land adjacent, which the Council and the Club are currently discussing.
Both the Council and the Club have been sensibly cautious about the deliverability of the new stadium. Both want to ensure that the Club can afford relocation and that the new facility will secure the long-term future of the Club and be an asset for the community.
Chairman Lee Harding said: "I think that we are fortunate in Braintree in that we have a well run local authority and football club who have both been very focused on the affordability of the new stadium. We've been talking to the Council about moving for eleven years now and have seen the location allocated for the new stadium site in the Council's Core Strategy."
He added: "We are happy to contribute all we can towards the new stadium and this study really is a crossroads in the Club's history. We like to think we are ambitious, but sensibly so. We have seen many clubs prosper following relocation, clubs like Burton Albion, Wycombe Wanderers and Yeovil Town - who were non-League clubs before new stadiums provided the facilities and financial impetus to reach the Football League. That said, we are very wary of the clubs that have struggled when they have not planned relocation thoroughly like Rushden & Diamonds and Darlington, so it's right that we take our time."
Harding concluded by saying: "The draft feasibility study from their independent consultants is with the Council and we understand it was to be discussed last week at Causeway House. We hope to see an approved copy for discussion at this week's Club board meeting and we can then start making some decisions about our future. Fundamentally about whether we plan for a new stadium or look at how we further develop our existing site at land off Cressing Road."
More news when we have it!
Council's feasibility study - a crossroad in our history
We caught up with Chairman Lee Harding at the weekend and there appears to be some progress with the Club's hope of relocation to a new stadium.
We understand that Braintree District Council have received the results of their long awaited feasibility study into the possibility of relocating the Club from its existing Cressing Road home to a new purpose-built stadium, ready for the Football League, at land allocated in the Council's Core Strategy growth location at Panfield Lane.
Both parties have been working hard behind the scenes over recent months. In August last year, the Council completed the purchase from Essex County Council of the vacant land off Chapel Hill for the sum of £1.2 million.
The Club too have worked hard to maintain Vanarama Conference football, while striving to operate on a sensible financial footing and retain all their assets to put towards the cost of relocation. The Club currently own the stadium freehold and have a lease on the land adjacent, which the Council and the Club are currently discussing.
Both the Council and the Club have been sensibly cautious about the deliverability of the new stadium. Both want to ensure that the Club can afford relocation and that the new facility will secure the long-term future of the Club and be an asset for the community.
Chairman Lee Harding said: "I think that we are fortunate in Braintree in that we have a well run local authority and football club who have both been very focused on the affordability of the new stadium. We've been talking to the Council about moving for eleven years now and have seen the location allocated for the new stadium site in the Council's Core Strategy."
He added: "We are happy to contribute all we can towards the new stadium and this study really is a crossroads in the Club's history. We like to think we are ambitious, but sensibly so. We have seen many clubs prosper following relocation, clubs like Burton Albion, Wycombe Wanderers and Yeovil Town - who were non-League clubs before new stadiums provided the facilities and financial impetus to reach the Football League. That said, we are very wary of the clubs that have struggled when they have not planned relocation thoroughly like Rushden & Diamonds and Darlington, so it's right that we take our time."
Harding concluded by saying: "The draft feasibility study from their independent consultants is with the Council and we understand it was to be discussed last week at Causeway House. We hope to see an approved copy for discussion at this week's Club board meeting and we can then start making some decisions about our future. Fundamentally about whether we plan for a new stadium or look at how we further develop our existing site at land off Cressing Road."
More news when we have it!
