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New stadium: all will be revealed
Reporter: by Janice Barker
Date online: 10 November 2009
OLDHAM Athletic’s owners have promised full consultation on plans for a new stadium in Failsworth — four months after the scheme came to light.
Co-owner and managing director Simon Corney plans a series of meetings before a public exhibition in the New Year.
The club has taken on professional advisers to help it, and Mr Corney added: “We fully appreciate and understand local residents’ disappointments and concerns in not having been directly consulted at this stage.
“However there is a significant amount of work to do before we will be in a position to submit a planning application and we want to reassure people that they will be involved in this important process.”
In August, the club was criticised for charging the public to attend an open forum about the club’s plan to move to Failsworth at The Radclyffe School, Hunt Lane, Chadderton.
It also clashed with a Failsworth Partners and Communities Together meeting, which all six Failsworth councillors attended.
Alan Shaw, chairman of the Failsworth Residents’ Action Group which is raising a 10,000 name petition against the stadium plans, said: “At last they have started to listen to us.
“All this could have been done ages ago because they still haven’t got plans. Is the meeting going to be this year, next year and at a venue of our choice?
“We don’t want fans there, just the residents of Failsworth.
“A stadium possibly could bring benefits, but where are they going to put parking? Broadway is going to be a death trap in the rush hour. Will there be special buses? These are only some of our concerns.”
It was July when the Chronicle printed the bombshell news that the Lancaster Club, land at Failsworth Lower Memorial Park and near-by allotments were earmarked for the development, revealed in an agenda item on the council’s website.
Six days later, on the day the item was debated by councillors, Latics confirmed it hoped to develop a 12,000 seater stadium on the 30 acre site.
The £20 million scheme was vital to the club’s survival, the club said, paid for by developing houses on its Boundary Park ground.
Today Mr Corney said: “We now feel we are in a position to present our initial thoughts and seek views and input from the community.
“This development has the potential to provide many new employment opportunities and to have a very positive impact on the community in terms of a range of new sports and recreation facilities for the people who live and work in the area.”
Last week Labour councillors met Mr Corney and Latics chief executive Alan Hardy, and told them there should be less secrecy over the stadium plans.
And the Tory group leader, Councillor Jack Hulme, and colleagues also met Latics directors last week. Councillor Hulme said: “We told them they hadn’t handled it well and they assured us there would be more public consultation.
“I was reassured that the size of the stadium would be one story and would not be overpowering everything on the front of the road.
“I am cautious because I want to see if they can deliver, and in budget, but I think it offers something positive for that part of the borough.
“There are a lot of ifs, but there is vision there.”
Comments
and before Chaddyender has a go at me. I don't mind a stadium at BP or Failsworth. I do mind them using Clayton Playing fields or the war memorial land. To me the whole issue is about money, specifically using public money and assets (land) for the use of a private company owned by millionaires.
"We don’t want fans there, just the residents of Failsworth."
Mr. Shaw, have you considered the fact that some Failsworth residents are also fans?
The club may have been critised but it did NOT charge for attending the public meeting at North Chadderton
Shame they had to bow to the pressure, no doubt there will be plenty of flaws found by the residents in the plans now.
Sums up the attitude of some of the people in failsworth. Complaining of not being consulted, then saying they don't want anyone's voices other than theirs to be heard!
Come on people, the stadium can only be a good move for Failsworth. Whats Failsworth got now? A pole and a tescos/morrisons! This has also got to be good for the younger generation of Failsworth and there activities. Seems that the older generation with the alotments are thinking of themselves! Think about the kids!
"We don’t want fans there, just the residents of Failsworth"
Well Alan, the stadium is for the fans so maybe they should give their input as well! What about the fans that ARE residents of Failsworth? you going to ignore their views as well?
“We don’t want fans there, just the residents of Failsworth."
What about the fans that live in Failsworth?
Ridiculous statement and "...which is raising a 10,000 name petition..." Actually, they're TRYING to raise a 10,000 name petition...it doesn't mean they will achieve it.
It's about time the 'Chron got behind the sporting teams of Oldham!
the chron couldnt have set this up any better!
this report on the main page with a report on roughyheads still looking for a ground just below it!
latics fans beware! it might be a different council but they'll still mess it up. latics will only survive if they stay put and develop boundary park. and sooner before building costs shoot up again.
A 12,000 seat stadium will obviously no be big enough to sustain a premiership team wich must be our eventual aim,surely it should be at least 25,000 but as a lifelong latics supporter and Failsworth resident i cannot wait for the stadium to be built for the good of the team and the area,but i should like to ask the councillors about the possibility of a new tram stop on Broadway to help with visiting fans
Failsworthian
"We don’t want fans there, just the residents of Failsworth", says Alan Shaw. This re-generation scheme is for the benefit of the whole borough, and if any meetings are called I can assure Mr Shaw that Latics fans will attend.
They don't want the stadium in failsworth so don't build it there, let the kids from the area wander the streets binge drinking instead of having great facilities to go to if it was built, let them stick to growing potatoes and vegetables and getting pennies from their neighbours for them, SAD SAD PEOPLE
How about building a half-decent team?
ammypam:
How about the town of Oldham supporting the club, so that they CAN build a "half decent team"?
AMMY nice thought, I have said build a team, breed success possibly build the fan base between 33-40% then build a ground seems more logical to me, build a ground put the same 11 headless chickens in and after rising crowds watch them dwindle as fast as they came. makes total sense to me. What makes me totally angry about this crop of useless directors many clubs with lesser crowds than can beat us in every department.
I'd like to know what Alan Shaw is on about, he is against the stadium and has set up a petition to get 10,000 signatures, then in the next breath he's saying the stadium could bring benefits, and i'd like to know what he's on about when he says broadway is going to be a death trap at rush hour, most games are played on saturdays once or twice a month and finish roughly at 5.10pm, i've never seen a rush hour on broadway on a saturday at that time.
“We don’t want fans there, just the residents of Failsworth.
Is this bloke for real? i hope Mr Shaw or one of the FRAG members ask me to sign their petition because they will get told where to go. The stadium is the best thing that could happen to failsworth. Think of the employment and money it will bring to the are because lets be honest what has failsworth got?
It will be very intersting to see what happens if the "Keep Latics out of Failsworth" campaign does get the 10,000 signatures. Will the view of that majority be important enough to stop the stadium being built?
There may be the odd Failsworth Latic fan, but in truth the people of Failsworth have no interest in Latics at all. There could not be a worse site to build a football stadium than at the corner of Broadway and Oldham Road.
Have Your Say
Well done Latics. This is all the public wanted. Honesty, openness and no lies unlike every other application. And if the fans want to help then they should work with the residents and not against them. They do enough moaning about the team as it is.
My sole concern is for the memorial ground and I don't appreciate latics making their big announcement to develop it on remembrance Sunday.
By Old_Mancunian @ 10/11/2009 12:00:43