Villa Park Redevelopment

[chrisw1]

I think it's been said before that there's no space at the NEC.

Anyway, the club isn't moving however many options we come up with.

[SoccerHQ]

I think it's been said before that there's no space at the NEC.

Anyway, the club isn't moving however many options we come up with.

Aren't they building a new village where the Birmingham interchange station is going to be? (Although they probably aren't factoring in a 60k ground being dumped in the vicinity!)

Probably over time they'll be new businesses springing up that side of the M42 as HS2 *should* be completed that stretch of the country eventually so will only be half an hour or so from Old Oak Common and all the delights there.

[Axl Rose]

I won't even go to gigs at the NEC.

It's shit isn't it. I saw Motley Crue there in 2005 and it was a dreary as fuck venue.

Compare that to the Academy (don't know if it's still around or still called the Academy) which was always brilliant.

[SoccerHQ]

Moving to the NEC would be the death of the club.

The transport links aren't really any better tbh, One trainline and a motorway nearby? I'd say if anything they're worse, as there's no walk from the city centre option, and fewer local buses.

We'd also be perfectly recreating the frustration of sitting in your car, not moving, for fucking ages whilst literally being able to see the motorway, except in one of the most soulless parts of the west midlands.

No ta.

The trainline would be picking up endless fans from Warwickshire/Oxfordshire and beyond that we always say we should do more to attract fans from those parts.

In the past when I've gone down to watch us in London it's always interesting to see the amount of people with Villa shirts that get on at Banbury, Oxford and Milton Keynes so they'd actually have a very easy journey in with a hypothetical move to NEC.

I assume there will be a rapid transit connecting to airport where Birmingham Interchange will be built aswell.

When you have a stadium situated with national train network nearby that will obvious reduce the car dependency on going to the match very quickly given hardly anyone goes to an Arsenal, Spurs or West Ham game by car unless you park miles away.

I don't want to move to NEC either but there's more logic there than a few saying after Commonwealth games that we should purchase the Alex and turn that into 60k ground. Now that is a ground which is rammed in and with even more limited transport options than VP.

[pauliewalnuts]

I can't think of many locations that would encourage more car dependency than the NEC. That's the reason it was built where it is in the first place.

Most fans from Oxfordshire or Warwickshire (inc me) coming in by train would do so via the Chiltern Line, not the WCML, and I'm not sure that making it easy for those fans whilst making it harder for the majority would be much of a winner in any case.

Arsenal and Spurs are entirely different - they are in extremely built up areas of a large city, car is just not an option for anything (or needed, even though Spurs isn't the greatest location for public transport).

[Nev]

I won't even go to gigs at the NEC.

It's shit isn't it. I saw Motley Crue there in 2005 and it was a dreary as fuck venue.

Compare that to the Academy (don't know if it's still around or still called the Academy) which was always brilliant.

It's the transport that puts me off. If you're on the train you invariably have to leg it before the end to get the last train, parking is appalling and staying in a hotel is too expensive. I prefer gigs at the old NIA where a taxi home is cheaper for me living on the west side of town.
I grew up right by the NEC and used to get the 900 bus to gigs.

[algy]

We can now look more hopefully at my idea to buy Aston Hall and Park, and everything behind the Witton Lane Stand. That’s the kind of footprint we need.

Given Birmingham City Council's financial problems, this could be a valid option.

Andy Street was interviewed yesterday and stated they would not be selling off crown jewel assets - he specifically referenced Aston Hall among others. I guess there may be a chance to get a small slice of the lower park area, but the Trinity side is the last part of the stadium that we'll be updating.

Although it's not up to Andy Street. He said he'd be dead set against it, though, but he can't stop it.

Although tbh if we ever really thought it was an idea to rebuild the ground where it is, this might be a chance in a lifetime to do it, if we bought up part of the park land.

I'd think it's a once-in-a-blue-moon chance, and we should probably buy up any parkland that we can - or indeed any land in B6 generally - that's being sold off.  Even if we have no intention of using it now, it'll give us options in 30-40 years time which currently aren't there.

[pauliewalnuts]

What if we were to buy up park land from the council behind the Trinity Road stand and rebuild the whole stadium, using the larger plot?

The ground would move yards from the current location.

[paul_e]

What if we were to buy up park land from the council behind the Trinity Road stand and rebuild the whole stadium, using the larger plot?

The ground would move yards from the current location.

I'd guess that would mean playing somewhere else during the work though.

[chrisw1]

I also doubt the owners are up for that sort of financial outlay.  I think I'd prefer they concentrate on progress on the pitch.

[SoccerHQ]

It will basically have to be make do and mend for next 5 years I think. Think Witton station will eventually get spruced up as that will get far more footfall on a matchday from increased North Stand.

Is there no decent plot of land available around the Jewellery Quarter or has it all been snapped up for accommodation and commercial outlets? There's one going up right by the station currently.

That location would be acceptable as just about in the vicinity of where we've resided for over a hundred years and yes a tram line and mainland station all connected pretty nicely. And within 10-15 minutes walk of city centre.

[Percy McCarthy]

The only faintly feasible location near town would be somewhere in the Gun Quarter. It’s pretty desolate and sparsely populated by industry. The Birmingham Wheels site is huge but the transport is shit and it’s quite a walk from town.

[edgysatsuma89]

I won't even go to gigs at the NEC.

It's shit isn't it. I saw Motley Crue there in 2005 and it was a dreary as fuck venue.

Compare that to the Academy (don't know if it's still around or still called the Academy) which was always brilliant.

It's the transport that puts me off. If you're on the train you invariably have to leg it before the end to get the last train, parking is appalling and staying in a hotel is too expensive. I prefer gigs at the old NIA where a taxi home is cheaper for me living on the west side of town.
I grew up right by the NEC and used to get the 900 bus to gigs.

I've been to a lot of gigs and I don't know why it is but it consistently produces the worst sound of almost any place I've been to that holds a few thousand. Then you add in the hour you're waiting in the car to get out and it becomes seriously unattractive. I'm always pissed off when someone I want to see gigs there.

[The Edge]

The only faintly feasible location near town would be somewhere in the Gun Quarter. It’s pretty desolate and sparsely populated by industry. The Birmingham Wheels site is huge but the transport is shit and it’s quite a walk from town.

And within gobbing distance from The Sty. It's a no from me.

[Bad English]

Given the way BCC treat their social housing tenants, I'd be all behind sharking the motherless fucks for cheap real estate.

Just out of interest, when did 'real estate' start replacing 'land and 'property' in British Engerlish?
 
We didn't have this sort of thing back in the day.