NSWE Investment

[andyh]

Aston is what it is.
I grew up in Aston 50 years ago (bloody hell) and it has changed but not from what it was, intrinsically.
Industrial units, lots and lots of domestic housing, a bit of shopping and some community buildings.
Over the last 20 years, the number of pubs has dwindled to very few.

Essentially, it’s the same place. It’s a bit grubbier and bit grottier.
It was never Solihull, or Sutton; but name somewhere in Birmingham that isn’t grubbier and grottier than it was 50, 30, 10 years ago. There isn’t one.

Why is moving the stadium to new area of the city so important IF we can grow what we have now ?

Transport links will be rubbish wherever we move to.
A city centre option is a non starter.
And a green belt stadium would have less supporting infrastructure than we have now.

The fact that the area around the ground is in decline is not the fault of the club.
The fact the area round the ground hasn’t been gentrified, is also not the fault of the club.

We need to stay where we are. Make it the best it can possibly be and continue getting things right on the pitch.

[jon collett]

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.

I think it’s one person on here mainly on an ahistorical wind up and posting nonsense.

Of course you’re right the people making the announcement won’t be in here thankfully.

I think I’ll stay in the match thread today for my blood pressure!

[Percy McCarthy]

Essentially, it’s the same place. It’s a bit grubbier and bit grottier.
It was never Solihull, or Sutton; but name somewhere in Birmingham that isn’t grubbier and grottier than it was 50, 30, 10 years ago. There isn’t one.

Brindley Place, Bull Ring, Paradise, Eastside, Stirchley.

Anyway, any room in the Gun Quarter?

[tomd2103]

Aston is what it is.
I grew up in Aston 50 years ago (bloody hell) and it has changed but not from what it was, intrinsically.
Industrial units, lots and lots of domestic housing, a bit of shopping and some community buildings.
Over the last 20 years, the number of pubs has dwindled to very few.

Essentially, it’s the same place. It’s a bit grubbier and bit grottier.
It was never Solihull, or Sutton; but name somewhere in Birmingham that isn’t grubbier and grottier than it was 50, 30, 10 years ago. There isn’t one.

Why is moving the stadium to new area of the city so important IF we can grow what we have now ?

Transport links will be rubbish wherever we move to.
A city centre option is a non starter.
And a green belt stadium would have less supporting infrastructure than we have now.

The fact that the area around the ground is in decline is not the fault of the club.
The fact the area round the ground hasn’t been gentrified, is also not the fault of the club.

We need to stay where we are. Make it the best it can possibly be and continue getting things right on the pitch.

Unfortunately, "make it the best it can possibly be" and "continue getting things right on the pitch" isn't going to work if we want to take that next step up.  It's clear in all the reports and figures that have been published over the past couple of years. 

[olaftab]

The magical location has to be somewhere close to east or northeast of city centre. Close enough so that it's walkable from any of the 4 major stations but not too close that fans just stay and spend their money in centre pubs and eateries etc. To me that location is the Gas towers.

[Chris Harte]

The magical location has to be somewhere close to east or northeast of city centre. Close enough so that it's walkable from any of the 4 major stations but not too close that fans just stay and spend their money in centre pubs and eateries etc. To me that location is the Gas towers.

This is very important. Put the stadium in the city centre and there will be places to eat and drink, but the club won't benefit from that. If those places are part of the overall development plan (whatever that will be) outside of the city centre, then the club (or holding company, investors) could benefit directly from that.

[London Villan]

My money is on either washwood heath or castle brom when jlr downsize it.

[dave.woodhall]

The magical location has to be somewhere close to east or northeast of city centre. Close enough so that it's walkable from any of the 4 major stations but not too close that fans just stay and spend their money in centre pubs and eateries etc. To me that location is the Gas towers.

This is very important. Put the stadium in the city centre and there will be places to eat and drink, but the club won't benefit from that. If those places are part of the overall development plan (whatever that will be) outside of the city centre, then the club (or holding company, investors) could benefit directly from that.

The money gained from catering is a minute fraction of turnover. I've been told that if we quadrupled sales it would add something like 0.1% to our profits.

[algy]

Anyone inside the ground will still be a captive audience. People outside the ground can go and eat in the city centre anyway, e.g. for the Lille match I ate in the city centre, went to Villa Park for the game, spent bugger all there, then went back in to town to drink.

I think there's many good reasons to stay at Villa Park, but catering income isn't one.

[The Edge]

The magical location has to be somewhere close to east or northeast of city centre. Close enough so that it's walkable from any of the 4 major stations but not too close that fans just stay and spend their money in centre pubs and eateries etc. To me that location is the Gas towers.

Windsor St is probably big enough but again lacks any kind of transport infrastructure.

[The Edge]

My money is on either washwood heath or castle brom when jlr downsize it.

Any spare land in Washwood Heath has been taken by HS2. The area around Castle Brom can't even cope with the traffic when they change shifts at JLR.

[Somniloquism]

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.

A fair bit of that land area has already been taken.

https://www.business-live.co.uk/economic-development/600m-snow-hill-masterplan-transform-8574200

There is the other side between the canal and the ring road slightly further out (which is very close to where I suggested), but that land isn't that level there so we might have to dig a lot out, or build up to get a nice flat footprint for the stadium.

[dave.woodhall]

There's the area past Aston Cross, from Avenue Rd to the Middleway, but it's still a bit of a hike from the city centre and you lose Witton station.

[tomd2103]

Anyone inside the ground will still be a captive audience. People outside the ground can go and eat in the city centre anyway, e.g. for the Lille match I ate in the city centre, went to Villa Park for the game, spent bugger all there, then went back in to town to drink.

I think there's many good reasons to stay at Villa Park, but catering income isn't one.

Yeah, I think that's it really.  Even if people have a drink before the game, they would probably want more when they got to the ground. 

Until we know the exact plans the club have, then it's fantasy football stadium really.  I suspect that there could be an announcement sometime this year to coincide with 150th anniversary.

[Villan82]

For what its worth, Cris Harte above has proposed something workable and amitious

Well, it was certainly ambitious.

It also involved demolishing nearly all the houses in the area behind Witton Lane.

Yes, ambitious, but not remotely workable.

But 30 years ago we had to buy the first row of houses and demolish them. All those houses are now 30 years older and there is much more money involved now and also much more regeneration etc.

Anyway, I am at a point where I am convinced we probably are moving and I will get used to it because doing nothing just isn't an option.