Villa Park Redevelopment

[Percy McCarthy]

I'm led to believe that the Conference and Exhibition venue at the Ricoh does well so I'd guess so being so near to the motorway and train network?

I’m reading on skyscrapercity that the conference facilities at Villa Park are busy in the week.

[London Villan]

Big difference between a few hundred delegates who all drive and a couple of thousand drinkers/gig go-ers. Aston as a destinstion for a night out will be a tough sell.

[FatSam]

What about offering the Royal Mail an incentive to swap from their distribution centre on the A34?

Would it be a big enough plot ?

I think it could be, doing a quick measurement using my fingers...

Having used the measurement tool on GoogleMaps, the footprint of Villa Park with the new Witton End would not fit on that site in either orientation.

[FatSam]

As is well known, Arsenal's Ashburton Grove site was identified by a fan who was searching for the closest site to Highbury that large enough to accommodate a 60k stadium. At the time it was occupied by a waste management facility which was eventually relocated. You'd have to say that Arsenal were pretty lucky that there was such a site so close to Highbury, and with better transport links (right on the A1, and in-between three stations). 

[ADVILLAFAN]

Hijacking this thread, but Clyde have submitted a bid for the Crownpoint Sports Complex site in Glasgow (not far from Parkhead).

Only about 10 minute drive from my Granny's old house.

Would be nice to have our own stadium again and be back in Glasgow, after a nomadic existence over the last 25 years or so.

[tomd2103]

Not generally a fan of moving away from Villa Park.  However - like others - if we were to move away from Aston then really the only option should be closer to the city centre.  Going further out is only going to compound the existing transport issues, for a start.

The idea doesn't really delight me either, but if it was somewhat of a necessity to move the club to the next level and it was a spectacular design then it would just about be palatable. 

[Rory]

If we did have to move, can we not knock down One Stop? Plenty of room there and it's shit anyway.

Right next to Perry Barr station, on several bus routes into town, on the outer circle, could accommodate a tram link along the A34, lots of empty Commonwealth Games bollocks nearby that could be turned into hotels, road links across town and to the M6, plus, crucially, it's nearer to my house.

[Percy McCarthy]

Every council asset being looked at for a fire sale. Maybe we could buy Aston Park?

[Des Little]

If we did have to move, can we not knock down One Stop? Plenty of room there and it's shit anyway.

Right next to Perry Barr station, on several bus routes into town, on the outer circle, could accommodate a tram link along the A34, lots of empty Commonwealth Games bollocks nearby that could be turned into hotels, road links across town and to the M6, plus, crucially, it's nearer to my house.

Best shout yet. Can I park on your drive, Rory?

[PeterWithe]

But you are talking about adding infrastructure that isn’t there, a tramline. There are already 2x train stations serving the current ground that just need improvements.

[Des Little]

Unfortunately the word ‘just’ is the biggest issue we have in all of this.

[Brend'Watkins]

This talk of moving to a new ground is nonsense. There is no chance we will ever!

[London Villan]

Looking at where the 76s play, it's an out of town arena, next to the NFL stadium and the MLB ballpark. As an anchor venue, the NEC is probably the only similar, feasible size location - but geographically it's all wrong.

[trinityoap]

If we were going to move then a couple of miles the Bewdley side of Ludlow would be handy for at least two of us. But seriously, one way systems after the match finishes  would make a lot of difference and a fleet of buses back into the city centre at a sensible price with no change to the infrastructure needed.

[dave.woodhall]

Looking at where the 76s play, it's an out of town arena, next to the NFL stadium and the MLB ballpark. As an anchor venue, the NEC is probably the only similar, feasible size location - but geographically it's all wrong.

And as I've said before, there's no land left there.