Takeover Rumour

[Walmley_Villa]

Hi hope Mazz is right, Aston is desperate for investment and is in a great location. Maybe the Birmingham renaissance will be resurrected after the last phase in the 90s. Would be great if Villa could also play a part.....

[Mazrim]

I'm not saying Aston is going to see another Golden age, there are other options in the city.
But in my opinion it will be one of the areas next targeted for redevelopment. 

[Percy McCarthy]

It seems to me that Aston would be a fascinating but do-able challenge for everyone with an interest in the area. There are a number of problems - unemployment and gang culture for instance - that you'd think the city council would be desperate to tackle. Then there are a number of 'drivers' and assets in place that could help them do so.

Aston University, Aston Pride, Aston Events Centre, the Villa, the transport museum, the Council, other local 'corporate citizens', they should all come together, perhaps under one banner, and maybe come up with a plan to make the most of all these assets. Look at all the beautiful buildings at present so under-valued - Aston Hall, King Edwards (school and pub!), the Brittania, the Bartons, the excellent transport links, the profile thanks to the Villa.

What a challenging yet rewarding project it would be to turn around the fortunes of a poverty-hit inner-city area. It could become a template and an inspiration for local government all over Britain 

[pauliewalnuts]

The huge work going on at Snow Hill and the surrounding area will increase the relevance of the North and North East part of the city. It's not an overnight thing but it will spread out from there. Plus it's right on the M6 Birmingham junction which makes it very accessible and important.

Why is the work going on at Snow Hill going to have any impact on Aston? The current building is going to be the home of Wragge and Co, who are a law firm. I can't see the connection there. The only exposure their staff have to Aston will be as they drive past it on the Expressway every evening.

If companes like Microsoft or Google were to set up offices in Brum, it would almost certainly be in the "Eastside" area of the city centre. Companies like that need to attract very highly skilled individuals, and such people aren't going to want to work in Aston.

I'm sure there are companies who will look at investing in Aston, but anyone who thinks it is going to turn into a silicone roundabout or a new Cambridge is going to be very disappointed indeed.

[Shoody]

Think it'd do better as an entertainment centre, put a Villa-branded Genting Casino nearby, a few big-name restaurants and bars, a cinema. Well it'd make going Villa a better day out anyway. Drinks, Food, Villa, Drinks, Casino, Short-Train into brum for a night out.

Maybe not as much money in it as office blocks etc though for outside businesses. But stick a Villa-branded casino next to the office blocks of some high-flyers and we'll be quids in. (Newcastle at one stage were going to put a casino right next to, or inside of - i forget which - St James'). If there was a hint of development of Aston, the club should start buying up land near-by to sell at a large profit and give us some control of what goes nearby.

All this daydreaming is much more exciting than the usual moaning crap.

[itbrvilla]

No doubt everything is bollocks or will go tits up!  Boo hiss!

[pauliewalnuts]

Think it'd do better as an entertainment centre, put a Villa-branded Genting Casino nearby, a few big-name restaurants and bars, a cinema. Well it'd make going Villa a better day out anyway. Drinks, Food, Villa, Drinks, Casino, Short-Train into brum for a night out.

Yes, but no business is going to survive based on Villa home matches, of which there are only guaranteed to be 19 a season. The reason Newcastle considered a casino is because their ground is right in the city centre (and even with those favourable circumstances, they didn't build one)

Also, the club did sell a chunk of land recently - the Serpentine - and five years later, the use of that land is still limited to a car park 19 odd times a year.

We also have an example of an entertainment venue being run right next to the ground, the Holte Hotel, which is a financial albatross.

[Shoody]

Think it'd do better as an entertainment centre, put a Villa-branded Genting Casino nearby, a few big-name restaurants and bars, a cinema. Well it'd make going Villa a better day out anyway. Drinks, Food, Villa, Drinks, Casino, Short-Train into brum for a night out.

Yes, but no business is going to survive based on Villa home matches, of which there are only guaranteed to be 19 a season. The reason Newcastle considered a casino is because their ground is right in the city centre (and even with those favourable circumstances, they didn't build one)

They signed a deal with MGM Mirage and had plans to build it but then: 'These plans failed when the proposed number of super casinos was reduced to one in the UK, and in January 2008 £5 million was repaid by the club to MGM.'

[DerHammer]

Midlands Today are beleived to report tonight that Qatar are to invest £150m into a Birmingham project this summer-interesting

Where did you hear this?

over on the avillafan site, they also mentioned that SSN came out with something aswell,didn't see it myself

[Percy McCarthy]

Rather than commerce or industry, I imagine that something more community-based, like a 'sports-quarter', would be a better fit with Aston and it's existing facilities and parkland.

[kippaxvilla2]

@darrannicholas Villa players spottd an Arab-looking chap at training ground recently. Put two and two together

And come up with there was an Arab looking chap at the training ground recently who could have been our next owner, or, more likely was a man on a day out looking for autographs.

[bertlambshank]

Think it'd do better as an entertainment centre, put a Villa-branded Genting Casino nearby, a few big-name restaurants and bars, a cinema. Well it'd make going Villa a better day out anyway. Drinks, Food, Villa, Drinks, Casino, Short-Train into brum for a night out.

Yes, but no business is going to survive based on Villa home matches, of which there are only guaranteed to be 19 a season. The reason Newcastle considered a casino is because their ground is right in the city centre (and even with those favourable circumstances, they didn't build one)

Also, the club did sell a chunk of land recently - the Serpentine - and five years later, the use of that land is still limited to a car park 19 odd times a year.

We also have an example of an entertainment venue being run right next to the ground, the Holte Hotel, which is a financial albatross.

The casino at the plastic stadium in Coventry has gone through 3 owners already.That proves your point.City Centre or die.

[Vanilla]

Aston University, Aston Pride, Aston Events Centre, the Villa, the transport museum, the Council, other local 'corporate citizens', they should all come together, perhaps under one banner, and maybe come up with a plan to make the most of all these assets. 

Sadly your theory goes askew when suggesting these organisations work together. The Aston transport museum has recently closed because BCC shoved it's rent up (http://www.amrtm.org/).

Aston Pride spent the majority of it's time paying it's executives big fat wages instead of ploughing the money into long term beneficial regeneration projects etc etc etc. . .   

[itbrvilla]

@darrannicholas Villa players spottd an Arab-looking chap at training ground recently. Put two and two together

And come up with there was an Arab looking chap at the training ground recently who could have been our next owner, or, more likely was a man on a day out looking for autographs.

Arab looking?  Dark skin? Moustach? white robes and tea towel? 

[MarkM]

@darrannicholas Villa players spottd an Arab-looking chap at training ground recently. Put two and two together

And come up with there was an Arab looking chap at the training ground recently who could have been our next owner, or, more likely was a man on a day out looking for autographs.

Arab looking?  Dark skin? Moustach? white robes and tea towel? 

It was when he arrived on a camel that really gave him away