New Stadium

[King Bee]

I've been told to trumpet support for a new stadium proposal at Western International. Apparently, there was and still is a split among Hounslow council members as to which should be the preferred site for the Bees new home ground, according to a source familiar with the situation. I was told by this person that the Western International contigent only lost by one vote when the decision to focus attention on Feltham was finally made.
One insider within the council is now urging fans to push councillors to reconsider their decision.
A move to Feltham would result in the same constraints that now hinder Griffin Park. The new stadium is slap in the middle of a residential area. Therefore a move isn't going to win many plaudits from the locals and any bid to expand Feltham's capacity - should we win promotion to the Premiership one day (we can only dream) - is likely to incur the same problems we are now experiencing at Griffin Park i.e. residents putting a stop to any redevelopment of the ground.

 

[Baz Bee]

I have also been told that LBH Officers support the WIM option.

 

[Pauly Paul]

Hmm, have you seen the aerial pics of Feltham Arenas? There's no problem with lack of space. The only question was over car access and parking. Everything else is in adequate provision. Wherever you build in London it's going to be near some residents.

Anyway, moving this to the Stadium Forum.

 

[PJ]

If it was ever feasible, the Fountain leisure centre site has to be THE best site:

Brilliant road links

Train station next door

Tube station round the corner

Plenty of buses

Hardly any residents near the site

Major scope for enabling development & facilities

It`s in Brentford

 

[Baz Bee]

That is the point Pauly Paul, Feltham is not easily accessible and the local neighbours will cause all sorts of problems that will mean substantial delay with no guarantee of a successful outcome. Fulham are still battling their neighbours and Arsenal may be in for a fight too!

WIM or a similar site must be the preferred option. No matter what the greenies or others say the majority of people wish to use their cars o make quick, cheap, easy and convenient journeys. Public transport is all well and good but often cannot offer its exisiting customers a decent service let alone come anywhere near what a car offers!

 

[Sweepy]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Pauly Paul:
Hmm, have you seen the aerial pics of Feltham Arenas? There's no problem with lack of space. The only question was over car access and parking. Everything else is in adequate provision. Wherever you build in London it's going to be near some residents.

Anyway, moving this to the Stadium Forum.</font>

Good morning Mr Feltham.

The difference between Feltham and WIM site is that one site will land us in a 5 year battle with nimby's and the other will not.

 

[Pauly Paul]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Sweepy:
Good morning Mr Feltham.

The difference between Feltham and WIM site is that one site will land us in a 5 year battle with nimby's and the other will not.</font>

This is where you're all quite wrong. When first news of WIM came out several letters in appeared in local rags the following weeks complaining that the A312 (Hayes By-pass) is overused at the moment and with WIM having no public transport infrastructure it would but ubearable strain on this road. Therefore they and their neighbours would fight tooth and nail to stop any stadium being built there.

The POINT I'm making is that wherever you build a stadium in London you will encounter residential objections of differing proportions. Where WIM residents complain of no public transport access, Feltham residents complain of poor car access etc etc

As long as Labour are in power and Red Ken is mayor the car will be pilliored.

WIM can only be built if Feltham is proved unfeasible. Maybe this is what the council is hoping will happen?

I have no preference to either. Both sites have equal amounts of pro's and con's.

 

[brighton bee]

could anyone post a arial view of the feltham arena area?

 

[ANTONY]

wim would hand because it just off the motorway easy acess to sit and no resident to worry about as well so it would be a good site

 

[Stanley]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Baz Bee:

No matter what the greenies or others say the majority of people wish to use their cars o make quick, cheap, easy and convenient journeys. [/B]</font>

Nothing to do with greenies, what about the "minority" who don't or can't drive such as the young, disabled, elderly, hardup etc.. hard luck?? not a very good advert for a "community" club

Any planning permission is bound to take public transport into account, one reason Wembley has won over Birmingham.

 

[Griffingreen]

Obviously no one is aware of the proposed extention of the Piccadilly line from Hounslow West to St Georges.


I certainly haven't?

WIM would at least be able to advertise itself, being on the edge of the M4. Also if the new stadium was built at Feltham, most of the away traffic plus some home supporters would use the A312. As would any crowd attending the stadium for other events.

 

[Roy_loak]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by PJ:
If it was ever feasible, the Fountain leisure centre site has to be THE best site:

Brilliant road links

Train station next door

Tube station round the corner

Plenty of buses

Hardly any residents near the site

Major scope for enabling development & facilities

It`s in Brentford

</font>

hate to pi§ on anyones chips but if you think feltham residents are nimbys, just wait till the chiswick middle classes mobilize. the fountain/lionel road site is too near the strand on the green conservation area to stand a chance imho. i should know as i live there and was canvassing local opinion when this site was first suggested. i thought i was going to get linched for just asking.

 

[Pauly Paul]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by brighton bee:
could anyone post a arial view of the feltham arena area?</font>

From the Keep BFC in Brentford site of all places! The red rectangle is the current footprint of GP. Bear in mind the astroturf pitch at Feltham is massive.

[This message has been edited by Pauly Paul (edited 18 December 2001).]

 

[Baz Bee]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Stanley:
Nothing to do with greenies, what about the "minority" who don't or can't drive such as the young, disabled, elderly, hardup etc.. hard luck?? not a very good advert for a "community" club

Any planning permission is bound to take public transport into account, one reason Wembley has won over Birmingham.

</font>

Exactly, it would be the minority and non drivers who would lose out if the car was marginalised. Public transport cannot cope with the present demands placed upon it. That is unlikely to change in the short to medium term. Therefore by effectively forcing those who do have access to alternative transport means, i.e. their cars, on to a poor and unreliable public transport system it will remove the capacity availble for those who do need to rely upon it. That is why any new stadium must make adequate provision for easy access/egress and parking. You only need to look at the new stadia constructed elsewhere (Reading, Northampton, Walsall, etc) to see that parking is an essential element of the basic requirement of a 21st Century facility. To believe otherwise is, IMO, very short sighted.

Wembley and Arsenal are somewhat different. Wembley's catchment area is potentially the whole of England and also like GP it is constrained by its current environs. Additionally, Wembley has a tradition of many spectators arriving by public transport. Arsenal, on the other hand, have taken the view that they wish to stay relatively close to their traditional home and that generally their supporters have a history of travelling by public transport. Therefore they have taken the view of maintaining the status quo.

If BFC do wish to build a successful and financially viable stadium complex then it must have suitable and adequate parking provision, as well as being easily accessible. I cannot see that Feltham will be able to offer any of that in the immediate future, if at all. I will support a move to Feltham as I consider that it offers better long term prospects than GP. However, in my view it is not really the wholly postive move that it should be and that in the long term we may regret it. But by then of course it will be too late! We will only have one opportunity to get it right so lets not waste it by pandering to those who think they know best!

 

[Sweepy]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Pauly Paul:
From the Keep BFC in Brentford site of all places! The red rectangle is the current footprint of GP. Bear in mind the astroturf pitch at Feltham is massive.

[This message has been edited by Pauly Paul (edited 18 December 2001).]</font>

It is a massive site. Why is everything taking so long though. Reason: we are doing too much talking and not enough action.

 

[Baz Bee]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Sweepy:
It is a massive site. Why is everything taking so long though. Reason: we are doing too much talking and not enough action.</font>

Because it is locked in by residential properties, all of whom have voters living in them.

This is not an ideal site and the chances of progressing quickly are, IMO, slim. Even if the Council are on board it is unlikely to progress at anything but a snail's pace. Additionally there are local elections next May (2002) and anything that may be the slightest bit contentious will be put on the back burner until after that date. I would suggest that Feltham falls clearly within that category?

 

[Sweepy]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Baz Bee:
Because it is locked in by residential properties, all of whom have voters living in them.

This is not an ideal site and the chances of progressing quickly are, IMO, slim. Even if the Council are on board it is unlikely to progress at anything but a snail's pace. Additionally there are local elections next May (2002) and anything that may be the slightest bit contentious will be put on the back burner until after that date. I would suggest that Feltham falls clearly within that category?

</font>

Despite the phrase popping up on every thread, at least no level-headed human being can accuse you of being a "thick prat", Baz

As I have said, it is almost going to be a war getting the new Bees-cot stadium built. The club probably can't do much until it becomes clear what is happening with GP, which is a hindarance.

 

[King Bee]

I still like the idea of moving to WIM - the potential there is enormous. As for ferrying suppporters, the club I'm sure will able to provide the necessary transport arrangements. I envisage that for an optional extra of £20-£30 on top of the season ticket price, the club would be able provide busses that depart, say, from the old Griffin Park Stadium to the WIM ground at regular intervals on matchday.

 

[Leonardo]

With WIM it isn't too far from Hayes and Harlington station. I'm sure Thames Trains would happily run a couple of extra trains if it would help them retain their franchise ...

Especially, unpopular I know, we groundshare with QPR.

 

[BuzzBeeSi]

I drive past the WIM site every home match day on the M4 - it's just crying out for a stadium!!