Villa Park Redevelopment

[amfy]

Absolutely.

[dave.woodhall]

If transport links is the priority then the NEC site wins hands down. Proximity to motorways M42 M6 M5 M40 M69 M1 , railways inc HS2 , airport , plus you have all the other stuff that's there - hotels , resorts world, arena, exhibition centre so travelling fans can make a weekend of a trip. If we were ever to move that would be the place to go.

And where anywhere near the NEC is there available land that only we can buy and which would be within walking distance of the station and all these magical places that apparently football supporters want to go to, and which would allow the NEC (where getting away from anything even vaguely open to the public is horrendous) to improve its links to the motorways?

[Bad English]

I dunno. We could all drink in the Marston Green Tavern then get the train to the ground 3 minutes away. Same on way back. Free parking at the station too. Sorted!

[TonyD]

The NEC is BY FAR the worst of all options. 
Impossible to imagine anything more soulless.   

[pauliewalnuts]

The NEC doesn't have a single thing going for it.

Forget all the transport links (which aren't quite as good as you might thing), the lack of land, all of that stuff - I struggle to think of anything which would kill the spirit of this club more thoroughly than playing somewhere out there.

[paul_e]

As I've said before if we had to move the gas towers at nechells would be the best. Close enough to still be counted as Aston, just about walkable from the city centre, right by the ringroad and expressway and if you include everything between rupert street and the canal it's pretty much a square site which gives loads of option for how we fit things in. In terms of footprint it'd be about half again on top of the current site. It's also not so penned in by residential areas so you reduce the risk of us being bad neighbours.

[tomd2103]

The NEC doesn't have a single thing going for it.

Forget all the transport links (which aren't quite as good as you might thing), the lack of land, all of that stuff - I struggle to think of anything which would kill the spirit of this club more thoroughly than playing somewhere out there.

Yeah, it's too far away.  Would be OK for Blues as a fair bit of their support comes from Solihull way. 

[dave.woodhall]

Everyone who mentions the NEC seems to think the entire site is some sort of reverse Tardis where what's a mile away on a map is a five minute walk in reality. I also doubt they've ever tried to get away from there when it's busy.

[tomd2103]

If transport links is the priority then the NEC site wins hands down. Proximity to motorways M42 M6 M5 M40 M69 M1 , railways inc HS2 , airport , plus you have all the other stuff that's there - hotels , resorts world, arena, exhibition centre so travelling fans can make a weekend of a trip. If we were ever to move that would be the place to go.

Just chuckling at Paulie reading all that...."BUT I USE THE LINE INTO SNOW HILL!!" (wink).

Where they're building the new interchange station I assume they'll be available land as there's a new housing development and amenities also being created so might aswell slap in a new entertainment venue that can create more jobs. And you're only 30 minutes away from London so new catchment area....well a prison on the Western outskirts of London.

Do we want to be completely soulless matchday venue like West Ham are...that's the hard sell from this ownership.

Let's be honest, Americans and the like aren't going to build a new stadium solely with football in mind.  Parks and race tracks aside, Villa Park is currently the biggest open air stadium venue for miles around between London and Manchester going South to North and the Principality Stadium to the west (nothing bigger east either). 

I would guess that there would be huge opportunity to attract major concerts and events (though VP already does to be fair) and that would be on the minds of the likes of Chris Heck.

[Dogtanian]

If transport links is the priority then the NEC site wins hands down. Proximity to motorways M42 M6 M5 M40 M69 M1 , railways inc HS2 , airport , plus you have all the other stuff that's there - hotels , resorts world, arena, exhibition centre so travelling fans can make a weekend of a trip. If we were ever to move that would be the place to go.

Just chuckling at Paulie reading all that...."BUT I USE THE LINE INTO SNOW HILL!!" (wink).

Where they're building the new interchange station I assume they'll be available land as there's a new housing development and amenities also being created so might aswell slap in a new entertainment venue that can create more jobs. And you're only 30 minutes away from London so new catchment area....well a prison on the Western outskirts of London.

Do we want to be completely soulless matchday venue like West Ham are...that's the hard sell from this ownership.

Let's be honest, Americans and the like aren't going to build a new stadium solely with football in mind.  Parks and race tracks aside, Villa Park is currently the biggest open air stadium venue for miles around between London and Manchester going South to North and the Principality Stadium to the west (nothing bigger east either). 

I would guess that there would be huge opportunity to attract major concerts and events (though VP already does to be fair) and that would be on the minds of the likes of Chris Heck.

...and Atairos who's owner manages stadiums, arenas, and conference centres across the US.

[Somniloquism]

That little lot will be £15m-£20m.

How

The tunnel alone will cost millions. They are excavating beneath a live railway line which runs about 10/12 trains per hour at peak times.

They replaced embankment with a tunnel / bridge just outside of Lichfield for the Southern Bypass. I'm not sure if they closed the line early or kept it going but that would be a decent costing comparison.

[pauliewalnuts]

As I've said before if we had to move the gas towers at nechells would be the best. Close enough to still be counted as Aston, just about walkable from the city centre, right by the ringroad and expressway and if you include everything between rupert street and the canal it's pretty much a square site which gives loads of option for how we fit things in. In terms of footprint it'd be about half again on top of the current site. It's also not so penned in by residential areas so you reduce the risk of us being bad neighbours.

It's in a truly desolate area, though, and I don't think it would be much better in terms of location than where we are now. Probably worse, in fact.

[tomd2103]

I've been mulling it over since the talk of redeveloping the North Stand got momentum again a couple of years ago.  For me, if plans were revealed of a new stadium in the city centre (somewhere like the Smithfields site previously mentioned) that was something like the new Spurs ground then it would be something to be considered to be honest.  If it was felt that it was something that would help take the club to the level at the very top of English football that it just hasn't been able to maintain during my time following the club and probably for over a century now really, then it might be something we might have to accept.

I'm still not sure that it would be necessary though.  If the North Stand is redeveloped as planned and the capacity goes up.to 52,000, would we realistically need anything bigger for the immediate future?  There are plenty of bits and pieces that could be done around VP to improve it and then the potential of developing the Witton Road stand could be looked in to should the need arise over the following years.

It would have to be something spectacular in the city centre for me if we were to ever consider leaving Villa Park.  Definite no to the NEC or anywhere further out.  I think if we do get in the Champions League next season, then it would make sense to not start work on the North Stand, but then after that first season we should maybe just bite the bullet in summer 2025.

[Dogtanian]

I've been mulling it over since the talk of redeveloping the North Stand got momentum again a couple of years ago.  For me, if plans were revealed of a new stadium in the city centre (somewhere like the Smithfields site previously mentioned) that was something like the new Spurs ground then it would be something to be considered to be honest.  If it was felt that it was something that would help take the club to the level at the very top of English football that it just hasn't been able to maintain during my time following the club and probably for over a century now really, then it might be something we might have to accept.

I'm still not sure that it would be necessary though.  If the North Stand is redeveloped as planned and the capacity goes up.to 52,000, would we realistically need anything bigger for the immediate future?  There are plenty of bits and pieces that could be done around VP to improve it and then the potential of developing the Witton Road stand could be looked in to should the need arise over the following years.

It would have to be something spectacular in the city centre for me if we were to ever consider leaving Villa Park.  Definite no to the NEC or anywhere further out.  I think if we do get in the Champions League next season, then it would make sense to not start work on the North Stand, but then after that first season we should maybe just bite the bullet in summer 2025.

It's not about pure number of seats anymore, it's about being able to offer premium matchday offerings to customers willing to may more for them. All of that takes space. The North on its own will allow us to do some more of that, but we would still be stuck in the other three stands. A full rebuild will allow the whole place to be geared towards doing that without alienating traditional match goers as they have been doing so far with the Holte End.

They want to do loads more things like the Lower Grounds, but are going to struggle within the existing stands. Particularly in the Holte and Doug.

[tomd2103]

I've been mulling it over since the talk of redeveloping the North Stand got momentum again a couple of years ago.  For me, if plans were revealed of a new stadium in the city centre (somewhere like the Smithfields site previously mentioned) that was something like the new Spurs ground then it would be something to be considered to be honest.  If it was felt that it was something that would help take the club to the level at the very top of English football that it just hasn't been able to maintain during my time following the club and probably for over a century now really, then it might be something we might have to accept.

I'm still not sure that it would be necessary though.  If the North Stand is redeveloped as planned and the capacity goes up.to 52,000, would we realistically need anything bigger for the immediate future?  There are plenty of bits and pieces that could be done around VP to improve it and then the potential of developing the Witton Road stand could be looked in to should the need arise over the following years.

It would have to be something spectacular in the city centre for me if we were to ever consider leaving Villa Park.  Definite no to the NEC or anywhere further out.  I think if we do get in the Champions League next season, then it would make sense to not start work on the North Stand, but then after that first season we should maybe just bite the bullet in summer 2025.

It's not about pure number of seats anymore, it's about being able to offer premium matchday offerings to customers willing to may more for them. All of that takes space. The North on its own will allow us to do some more of that, but we would still be stuck in the other three stands. A full rebuild will allow the whole place to be geared towards doing that without alienating traditional match goers as they have been doing so far with the Holte End.

They want to do loads more things like the Lower Grounds, but are going to struggle within the existing stands. Particularly in the Holte and Doug.

How much of that are we likely to really need though?  Of course a new stadium would allow for all that to be built in and would probably allow for things like large safe standing areas to be incorporated as well.