Pompey's new stadium in doubt

[DENNIS STEVENS]

Pompey's new stadium in doubt

Breaking news....







Published Date:
19 November 2008

By David Hurley & Neil Allen

Pompey's dream of moving to a spectacular new stadium could hit the rocks because of the club's need to include shops in the development.

Bankers looking to finance the £100m scheme have told the club that there must be a significant retail element alongside the 36,000-seater ground and housing, or the necessary cash will not be available.

With the credit crunch biting the club have gone back to the drawing board and changed their plan to include shops, a hotel and supermarket.

But the city council thinks such major changes would almost certainly spark a full-blown public inquiry amid fears a new shopping development could drain the life from the city centre.

Peter Storrie, the club's executive chairman, has now pleaded for city council support.

Mr Storrie told The News: 'We have obviously changed plans, the credit crunch has created that. At the moment we are in discussions with the city council about the fact that we have to have retail on the site.

'Without that it's just simply not going to happen. We need the council to get behind us and support us on this. If they want to have the club and for us to maintain it we need a state-of-the-art stadium.

Mr Storrie still hopes that a planning application will be ready to go before the council early in the new year after talks between the club and planning officials.

'Obviously there is work to be done yet with the council in terms of exactly what it is and why we need it,' he said.

'They aren't being unhelpful but it's a change in policy for them and they need to understand fully the economic reasons why we have to have retail.'

The city council would welcome a plan which focused on housing alongside the stadium, and fears shops at the site could threaten Gunwharf Quays and the proposed Northern Quarter city centre development.


Mr Storrie dismissed those fears as groundless because hotels and a supermarket would not compete with Gunwharf Quays and Northern Quarter.

'It's other types of retail that will just make it profitable for us and banks will loan on those types of things,' he said.

Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson, leader of Portsmouth City Council, told The News that with such a major retail develoment being proposed the ultimate decision will probably be taken out of the council's hands.

'Ministers will be unhappy about out of town shopping because of the effect on city centres. It will be a public inquiry and ministers will make the decision.

'From nobody else would we look at an out-of-town shopping centre, but because it's the football club we will work with them on it.

'Because we all want a new stadium, that is why we are working as closely as possible with the football club, as we all want the same thing.'

some interesting parallels to our own ground move, perhaps.

 

[Reidy's Bottle Of Grecian]

Pompey's new stadium in doubt

is that an area of portsmouth, or is it over the city limit, where people talk weird, have no street sense and despite always considering themselves to be portsmouthians they are in fact not at all.


i hope this limbo place is a decent size as it seems most plans are there at the moment.

 

[Whitebootman]

Pompey's new stadium in doubt

is that an area of portsmouth, or is it over the city limit, where people talk weird, have no street sense and despite always considering themselves to be portsmouthians they are in fact not at all.


i hope this limbo place is a decent size as it seems most plans are there at the moment.

That's just the limbo lingo lar

 

[Reidy's Bottle Of Grecian]

turmoil and tatters seem other popular locations as well.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I lived in Portsmouth for a short time and they've been planning a new stadium for ages now, probably longer than we have. I believe the new stadium would be in the old historic dockyards area on some disused MOD land. That land is just a few hundred metres from the Gunwharf Quays development, which was a massive retail and housing development built on the waterfront of the city just a few years ago. I can see Storrey's point as Gunwharf mainly houses restaurants and fashion shops, it doesn't have a supermarket or anything but it was a pretty costly development so its perhaps understandable the council have concerns.

Incidently, on the issue of location, when I lived there and the club were planning a stadium, the preferred choice was an out of town location. I'd moved away by the time it was scrapped but I suspect their league position and subsequent finances played as much a part as the location. Fratton is similar to Goodison in that its situated in an inner city area and landlocked by housing, although they do have some land in disused railway yards next to the ground, and this area was regularly talked up as a plot for a larger stadium. I dare say it didn't go ahead because the Fratton area of Portsmouth is a [Poor language removed] hole and the waterfront is slightly more glamorous.

 

[Reidy's Bottle Of Grecian]

cant help thinking they copied the kings dock idea tbh

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Dunno where they've decided to put that either because it sure doesn't look like Portsmouth to me.

 

[DENNIS STEVENS]

pompey have had many schemes over the years, including one that was blocked due to the migratory wild geese needing somewhere to stop-over! they could still rotate the current pitch 90 degrees, turning the "new" fratton end into a side & building a new side in front of the current away end, but claim they want to build a bigger stadium & so need a new location. the development next to gunwharf quays was always a little fanciful, to say the least, but seems to have had the desired effect of getting the mod & city council together 'round the table for the current proposal. this is on whale island, to the north of the city next to the rn diving school & port solent marina (leisure, housing, some shopping development). however, there isn't much need for other retail in the area as it's right next to a huge tesco - perhaps if they get somebody like ikea on board it could work. the location is next to the m275 & a new junction is proposed, together with park/walk & ride schemes (unlike kirkby you'll be able to get there & back on the same day!), but it's not too convenient for train travel as the line runs down the other side of portsea island. it's funny how all the development at the old fratton railway yards was meant to fund the new stadium & despite masses of development there's still no stadium - has 'arry spent all the stadium kitty?

 

[Bruce Wayne]

If it's near Port Solent that's an awful location. I've had to go there for work a few times and the public transport to the site is shocking. Why they built so much up there and didn't put any transport in place is beyond me.

 

[DENNIS STEVENS]

If it's near Port Solent that's an awful location. I've had to go there for work a few times and the public transport to the site is shocking. Why they built so much up there and didn't put any transport in place is beyond me.

as i said, it's not too good for the train traveller, but a new motorway junction, adequate parking & use of shuttle buses to ferry people in could work, but recalling the fiasco of the transport arrangements for the 200th anniversary of trafalger celebrations the other year doesn't give one much confidence.

the scheme to build in farlington right next to the railway line & the a27 was a great location, but a lot of clever lobbying & those damned birds put paid to that. mind you a lot of pomponians were none too keen as they felt the location on "the main-land" wasn't "proper" portsmouth - they're very proud of their unique island city!

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Yes, I looked into the Farlington plan quite a lot when I was there. Of course, being off the island it's probably as out of town to Portsmouth as Kirkby is to Liverpool.

 

[DENNIS STEVENS]

Yes, I looked into the Farlington plan quite a lot when I was there. Of course, being off the island it's probably as out of town to Portsmouth as Kirkby is to Liverpool.

pretty much, although technically within the city boundary.

 

[TX Bill]

I'd say in today's world economy, everyone's new stadium is in doubt.