Villa Park Redevelopment

[paul_e]

I wonder if its such a bad thing that the WL is a clear monument to, and warning about, doing things on the cheap, and then having to redo them 20 years later.

I've said this before, with hindsight the stand is a perfect monument to his legacy.

[chrisw1]

I'm not going to defend Doug - I disliked everything about him.  But I'm not sure how you can get that many seats in such a small plot size without serious compromises to the behind stand facilities.

If we'd been forward thinking we'd have started picking up the hosues behind as and when they came on the market.  Not in a underhand Liverpool type way, but by setting up a property company and letting them out on assured shorthold tenancies until such a time as we want to redevelop.  I'd guess each house wouldn't have been much more than one weeks wages for some of our players.

[DB]

I wonder if its such a bad thing that the WL is a clear monument to, and warning about, doing things on the cheap, and then having to redo them 20 years later.

I've said this before, with hindsight the stand is a perfect monument to his legacy.

It is a shit stand but other clubs are rebuilding rebuilding after similar time e.g. Anfield behind their goal. Demand has gone up in last few years.
But I agree,done on the cheap and needs upgrading.

[LeeB]

It's shit, it wasn't even a new stand, the old one was just built on top of hence the asbestos debacle after it had opened.

[London Villan]

When it was built in 1993/94 the lower tier basically used the same structure of the stand that had been there since the original barrel roof stand from 1897. If you look at old pictures of the stand you can see the randomness of the entrances, the positions which date from the time the stand was built in 1897.

It was only when the asbestos in the lower tier was found they had to rip it out completely and reprofile the whole stand.

[eamonn]

When was asbestos found?

[London Villan]

https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/archive/aston-villa-fc-hit-by-asbestos-court-case-11-01-1996/

[Ads]

During construction back in 94 wasn't it. Vaguely, really vaguely- remember a Mail headline and having asbestos explained to me by my dad. Never too early for the asbestos talk.

[chrisw1]

In fairness the views from the stand are excellent.  Notwithstanding aethetics, we got a lot of seats in a very small space.  The back of house is just terrible.  I guess they could have created a lower mezzanine area under the seating to give them a bit more space than the ridiculous corridor we have in the upper now, but I presume the hosptality took priority for that space? 

[London Villan]

Similar to the flaws of the Trinity. Great views from the seats, but the outside would shame an out-of-town business park in Redditch.

[Ads]

The outside of the Trinity looks like a football stand.

[LeeB]

I hate them, but this is how you modernise a piece of architectural genius

[pauliewalnuts]

The one thing about the Trinity is there is plenty of room in the concourses.

I have only been in the current WL stand two or three times (used to go in the old stand as a kid) and I could not believe how grim and cramped they were.

[rob_bridge]

Thinking about Phase II, opening up my Leicester tickets, it's come with a slip that has a shot of the Witton and Holte.

The Trinity gets a lot of stick, but it's far more impressive in my opinion from inside the ground than what it replaced, outside there's other arguments to be had.

But looking at the slip, you really get a sense that it's the Witton Lane that's the true shambles of a stand. Such a mangled mess on that corner.

Totally agree. Trinity match experience is great - always take my 'guests' there. Every single one has been impressed with it and hence the whole ground as a result.

Witton Lane stand was out of date 20 years ago. Great view from upper tier but one you want to get in to with 5 mins to go before the match. Shite facilities and no room. Replacement needs to follow asap the North Stand is done

[Brazilian Villain]

I hate them, but this is how you modernise a piece of architectural genius

It's been discussed at length here and pretty sure Dave W mentioned that a similar approach wasn't possible with the old Trinity.