NSWE Investment

[The Edge]

With some imagination and investment by local authorities and the club There's no reason why the area can't be smartened up and bought to life. As others have said it happens all the time in London.

You can not compare anywhere like Aston with London, though. There isn't immense amounts of iffy foreign money washing around in Birmingham, or any other provincial city for a start. That's why it happens in London.

Aston isn't top of anyone's list for investment, and it never will be.

Do you remember the area of Manchester where the Etihad stands now from about 20 years ago? A complete shithole.

[Drummond]

Well at least we know why people think we can build it in the city centre! Apparently something with the footprint of a 60k stadium is the same as building something with the footprint of an office block.

It's not, and nobody said it was. What do you think was there in London before Arsenal built their new stadium, a conveniently empty 15 acre car park that everybody had forgotten about?

A rubbish dump and industrial units, I believe.

No, Dave, what was there 'before'!

[Demitri_C]

Well at least we know why people think we can build it in the city centre! Apparently something with the footprint of a 60k stadium is the same as building something with the footprint of an office block.

It's not, and nobody said it was. What do you think was there in London before Arsenal built their new stadium, a conveniently empty 15 acre car park that everybody had forgotten about?

A rubbish dump and industrial units, I believe.

Correct i use to be round the highbury Islington area all the time as i use to live in wood green which isnt that far from finsbury park ( a complete shit hole) which is not far to it. It was complete dump before the emirates was built. No one went there as its dire. Now you cant toucha a property around there as its ridiculously expensive

With Spurs the surrounding area around Tottenham high street was a complete and utter shit hole. But they slowly moving all the council estates out tk enfield and re generating the area.  I currently live around 25 mins drive from the Spurs stadium and i speak to alot of local businesses and one in particular chick King  (which is owned by greeks) tells me they have been offered stupid amounts of money to sell up like a lot of the businesses opposite as spurs want to create things like a hotel and entertainment complex around the area to generate more revenue. They have offered of businesses around the local same.

Now i have absolutely minimal knowledge on villa park my question is all i see around villa park is industrial estate and housing could villa not just buy things in surrounding areas for expansion and regenerate the area or would there be large kick back by the local community around witton?

[LeeB]

There's absolutely zero fucking chance of a brand new city centre stadium surrounded by lots of other places for you to spend your money.

[AV82EC]

With some imagination and investment by local authorities and the club There's no reason why the area can't be smartened up and bought to life. As others have said it happens all the time in London.

You can not compare anywhere like Aston with London, though. There isn't immense amounts of iffy foreign money washing around in Birmingham, or any other provincial city for a start. That's why it happens in London.

Aston isn't top of anyone's list for investment, and it never will be.

Do you remember the area of Manchester where the Etihad stands now from about 20 years ago? A complete shithole.

And it still is, if you think throwing up Stadiums, training complex’s, Velodromes and Arenas changes the nature of the area then I’m afraid you’re wrong, east Manchester around there is still a very poor area. I don’t think the great and the good of Manchester are rushing for buying up a des res in Beswick or Miles Platting. It’s also a pain in the arse to get to as there’s not enough public transport. I was quite struck by how many people left early at the Etihad, it made the Lower Witton Lane look like amateurs in comparison, and the main reason is people having to hot foot it back to Piccadilly and Victoria to catch trains.

[LeeB]

My mate it was a nightmare trying to get away from the Etihad and they were only going to Bury.

[Ads]

With some imagination and investment by local authorities and the club There's no reason why the area can't be smartened up and bought to life. As others have said it happens all the time in London.

You can not compare anywhere like Aston with London, though. There isn't immense amounts of iffy foreign money washing around in Birmingham, or any other provincial city for a start. That's why it happens in London.

Aston isn't top of anyone's list for investment, and it never will be.

Do you remember the area of Manchester where the Etihad stands now from about 20 years ago? A complete shithole.

And it still is, if you think throwing up Stadiums, training complex’s, Velodromes and Arenas changes the nature of the area then I’m afraid you’re wrong, east Manchester around there is still a very poor area. I don’t think the great and the good of Manchester are rushing for buying up a des res in Beswick or Miles Platting. It’s also a pain in the arse to get to as there’s not enough public transport. I was quite struck by how many people left early at the Etihad, it made the Lower Witton Lane look like amateurs in comparison, and the main reason is people having to hot foot it back to Piccadilly and Victoria to catch trains.

Ha! Good post. I was going to say that's a odd choice to use as an example if 22 years of spunking money on Burnage hasn't really scatched the "bit rough round here" edges. The tram round the other side is OK to use to get to the ground, but its chaos (unless they're lifting a title) to use to get back. It isn't too bad a walk to Piccadilly though. Manchester traffic is absolute shite though. Aston is further out too. Let's move.

[The Edge]

With some imagination and investment by local authorities and the club There's no reason why the area can't be smartened up and bought to life. As others have said it happens all the time in London.

You can not compare anywhere like Aston with London, though. There isn't immense amounts of iffy foreign money washing around in Birmingham, or any other provincial city for a start. That's why it happens in London.

Aston isn't top of anyone's list for investment, and it never will be.

Do you remember the area of Manchester where the Etihad stands now from about 20 years ago? A complete shithole.

And it still is, if you think throwing up Stadiums, training complex’s, Velodromes and Arenas changes the nature of the area then I’m afraid you’re wrong, east Manchester around there is still a very poor area. I don’t think the great and the good of Manchester are rushing for buying up a des res in Beswick or Miles Platting. It’s also a pain in the arse to get to as there’s not enough public transport. I was quite struck by how many people left early at the Etihad, it made the Lower Witton Lane look like amateurs in comparison, and the main reason is people having to hot foot it back to Piccadilly and Victoria to catch trains.

Ha! Good post. I was going to say that's a odd choice to use as an example if 22 years of spunking money on Burnage hasn't really scatched the "bit rough round here" edges. The tram round the other side is OK to use to get to the ground, but its chaos (unless they're lifting a title) to use to get back. It isn't too bad a walk to Piccadilly though. Manchester traffic is absolute shite though. Aston is further out too. Let's move.

To a soulless bowl out at the NEC? No thanks.

[Lastfootstamper]

Who's suggested the NEC?

[The Edge]

Who's suggested the NEC?

I was responding to Ads who's hell bent on leaving Aston. He would like somewhere close to the centre but the options are pretty much zero and NEC would be an option for some and probably Heck himself. Not for me. Over my dead body.

[FatSam]

I’m going to avoid generalising about the opinions of other fans. There has been lots of debate here about what is and isn’t possible. However, without a wide-ranging feasibility study none of us really know. We were told previously that a new stadium on a different site was discounted before the Witton End scheme was developed. This new investment from Atairos has led some to suspect that this is being re-evaluated. At the moment my preference would be for a new stadium closer to the city centre in North Birmingham. If this was not possible I would prefer to stay on the current site rather than move somewhere soulless like the NEC. However, staying on the current site clearly means accepting some serious compromises in terms of capacity and income generation outside of match days.

[Ads]

Who's suggested the NEC?

Nobody. I want the city centre and for us to create the options.

[Baldy]

Plan C, let our American friends next door spend zillions on a new stadium. When it is repossessed by the Bank, buy it at a 'knockdown' price, fumigate it and move in.

[Ads]

What about that bit in Hockley? Opposite the children's hospital? You've got a brewery, a pub, the Sally Army, some units and the like. Canal, but its below road level. You can have a Cathedral in the background for those that like a church on approach. Youve still got thr A38 there too to gawp at it as you drive by. I agree with FatSam that a new stadium was likely discounted on cost prior to this investment and expertise.

Something like that though would be really good for the city centre as it would push it further out and may allow at some point a link between the JQ and the rest.

[FatSam]

Plan C, let our American friends next door spend zillions on a new stadium. When it is repossessed by the Bank, buy it at a 'knockdown' price, fumigate it and move in.

I know you’re being facetious, but that wouldn’t work because it would definitely be in the wrong area of Birmingham.