From Bristol Supporters

[The Butler 0]

This was sent to NCISA but I thought everyone should see it:-

Hello Norwich City Supporters

 

Petition by Bristol City Supporters Trust at the match this Saturday

 

Plans for the New Stadium for Bristol City are in the balance.  A report into the land it would be built on has recommended it is designated as a ‘village green’ even though much of it is an ex-rubbish tip.  If the Council agreed, the land could not be built on.  Our petition that ‘Bristol wants a World-Class Stadium not a village green’ is critical in making our voices heard by the Councillors.

 

We are collecting signatures for this petition at this Saturday’s game and I am contacting Norwich City fans in the hope that you understand our case and might feel like signing the petition if approached to do so.  We will be collecting signatures around the ground from 1pm onwards until 2.45 and for the first time we are aiming to collect signatures at half-time.

 

As part of our campaign we have produced two videos which are on YouTube:

 

World-Class Stadium not a village green

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZZqNFrRVGg

 

Hidden Side of City fans

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c53VoTKjIZ4

 

Thanks for your attention and enjoy the match!

 

Mike Adams, membership Secretary, Bristol City Supporters Trust

 

[lappinitup 629]

Bristol supporters eh! Better known as bra''s.......

[8-|]

[PurpleCanary 6,381]

No opinion either way, but in the interests of balance:http://www.handsofflongashton.org.uk/?p=1113It doesn''t quite seem from that as if it is purely a question of whether or not to build on an ex-rubbish dump.

[Woman in the Stands (WITS) 0]

The you tube clips are emotive and aim to hit at

various levels according to where your interests lie. However there are

some things in there that are not solely implicit to Bristol City FC: eg

the book ''City ''til I die'' given to 600 local schools because we care

about the community. I am not saying they do not care about the

community but this is not a very good example.

As we have just launched our own club book (with the same title to be

confusing) it is given to 600 local schools at the instigation of the

National Literacy Trust, with whom the book is produced alongside other

organisations. Essentially, no club can agree to produce the book unless

600 books are given away to local schools.

Whilst we can feel for the Bristol City fans and the need for a

new/expanded stadium, everything must be weighed up accordingly. I can

also understand locals not wanting to be invaded by football fans every

other Saturday (or whenever the tv schedules change it!).

Thanks for providing the other view PC.Ultimately, it''s difficult for us to really comment because we do not live there.

[Budgie 0]

I walk my dog on that land!!

Seriously though this stadium has zero chance of being built. I feel sorry for the City fans as the campaign was going so well well then everything that could have gone wrong has over the last 12 months. Its almost as of the project is jinxed.

They''re putting up a fight but I feel it is in vein.

[Beijing Canary 0]

Given Bristol can''t ever fill their current 20k seater, don''t really see the point in them getting a new ground.

[Budgie 0]

Its another valid point. Bristol just want to host the WC and City will benefit from a brand spanking new ground.

However they would never be able to afford it without the money from the bid and could never justify it on current use of Ashton Gate.

The club and supporters campaign to get the stadium built is very aggressive but the council do seem to be siding with the local residents.

I personally hope it is not built. I would love to have the WC on my door step but I don''t think it can be justified and I hope people think about the opposition to the ground before signing anything on Saturday.

[First Wazzock 1,011]

[quote user="lappinitup"]

Bristol supporters eh! Better known as bra''s.......

[8-|]

[/quote]

Yeah, they used to be called ''The Over Shoulder Boulder Holders'' but thought that was too much of a mouthful. [:#]

[Beauseant 0]

[quote user="First Wazzock"][quote user="lappinitup"]

Bristol supporters eh! Better known as bra''s.......

[8-|]

[/quote]

Yeah, they used to be called ''The Over Shoulder Boulder Holders'' but thought that was too much of a mouthful. [:#]

[/quote]

 

And, as we all know, more than a mouthful''s a waste[;)]

[Jim Smith 2,610]

I would sign it purely as a bit of a show of solidarity. May exert some political pressure on the council but the fact is that they could have 500,000 signatures on that petition and it should not make any difference to the Council''s decision on the matter. Whether its a "village green" or not depends purely on whether the legal tests are satisfied and unfortunately this horrific of legislation means its far too easy for objectors to try and exploit this loophole and scupper/delay development projects.

[Budgie 0]

As long as its not on your doorstep then Jim?

Should it not be easy for people to object? Locals do not want the stadium, are you suggesting they build it regardless?

This is only one of the hurdles they face anyway. As far as I know they still have not got a developer for Ashton Gate since the Sainsbury''s proposal got rejected.

[paul moy 235]

Why not go for a groundshare with Rovers. Surely this would be more likely to be sanctioned by your council and could be more easily justified ?

[PurpleCanary 6,381]

[quote user="Jim Smith"]I would sign it purely as a bit of a show of solidarity. May exert some political pressure on the council but the fact is that they could have 500,000 signatures on that petition and it should not make any difference to the Council''s decision on the matter. Whether its a "village green" or not depends purely on whether the legal tests are satisfied and unfortunately this horrific of legislation means its far too easy for objectors to try and exploit this loophole and scupper/delay development projects.[/quote]Really? I don''t know what the Norwich equivalent of this Ashton Vale area is, but if you were a Bristol City supporter you would sign a petition backing a new Norwich City stadium in, say, Cringleford, or Thorpe St Andrew, purely for solidarity''s sake, even though you didn''t have the remotest clue what the arguments for and against were?

[Jim Smith 2,610]

[quote user="PurpleCanary"][quote user="Jim Smith"]I would sign it purely as a bit of a show of solidarity. May exert some political pressure on the council but the fact is that they could have 500,000 signatures on that petition and it should not make any difference to the Council''s decision on the matter. Whether its a "village green" or not depends purely on whether the legal tests are satisfied and unfortunately this horrific of legislation means its far too easy for objectors to try and exploit this loophole and scupper/delay development projects.[/quote]

Really? I don''t know what the Norwich equivalent of this Ashton Vale area is, but if you were a Bristol City supporter you would sign a petition backing a new Norwich City stadium in, say, Cringleford, or Thorpe St Andrew, purely for solidarity''s sake, even though you didn''t have the remotest clue what the arguments for and against were?

[/quote]

 

I do have the remostest clue what the arguments are about here as i have read the decision and know a bit about the background. This is a case of a very small group of Nimby''s using a legal loophole to frustrate development on an area that is not the sort of green paradise it is being made out to be. Given the circumstances i would sign their petition as I have nothing against Bristol City fc and in fact i quite like them.

 

 

[Jim Smith 2,610]

[quote user="Budgie"]As long as its not on your doorstep then Jim? Should it not be easy for people to object? Locals do not want the stadium, are you suggesting they build it regardless? This is only one of the hurdles they face anyway. As far as I know they still have not got a developer for Ashton Gate since the Sainsbury''s proposal got rejected.[/quote]

Yes it should be easy for people to object and they presumably had and took every opportunity to do so during the planning process leading up to the grant of permission. However, as you should know if you are in Bristol, this is not a case of a significant number of people objecting to development on a beautiful green space. This is a case of 22 people who have managed to exploit a legal loophole to try and scupper the proposed development on land, a large amount of which was until relatively recently a landfill site.

[Europe_93 50]

[quote user="lappinitup"]

Bristol supporters eh! Better known as bra''s.......

[8-|]

[/quote]

Actually better (and proudly) known sh1theads - as opposed to the Gas Heads from the blue half of the City''s representation.

[Davo 0]

I won''t sign this partition out of solidarity with Bristol rugby club and Bristol Rovers FC. Why should only Bristol City fans benefit? Plus they are looking at building a 40,000 seater stadium that once the WC is over they''ll probably never fill. Now if it was going to be a ground share with one of the other two important Bristol clubs then I would be more inclined to sign it.

On top of that there''s the fact I don''t even live in Bristol so don''t care where the Stadium is put.

Davo

[Wroxham Bridge 27]

As a canary exile having lived in Bristol for over 25 years, I have absolutely no sympathy for BCFC and would discourage any City supporter on Saturday from signing the petition for the following reasons.

 

·         To finance the new stadium they originally want to sell off their current site to Sainsburys, so JS can then build the biggest supermarket in the South West and in doing so destroy the local and thriving businesses in Bedminster and Southville. Fortunately planning permission from the Council was rejected for this and like Budgie I’m not aware that they have yet found a new buyer for Ashton Gate.

·         The propose new site is an area with very restricted transport access, a bit like Wycombe’s ground and the traffic chaos if they ever manage to half fill the ground will be immense.

·         The Club bought the site at Long Ashton and then failed to connect/communicate with the local residents to convince them of the benefits living next to a 42,000 stadium and also a large arena for rock concerts etc  which will be used much regularly than every other Saturday. Sadly the value of the site has been considerably reduced as it has now been given “Village Green” status.

·         There is a brown field site close to Bristol Temple Meads station which would be ideal for both a stadium and an arena, however they will not consider this as the club/chairman has already bought the Long Ashton site. This BTM station site already has planning approval for an arena and could easily accommodate a football stadium as well.

·         I also fail to understand why they want a 42,000 capacity stadium (apart from the dubious privilege of possibly hosting a 2018 world cup match if England are selected as hosts) when their own predictions suggest that if they got into the Premier League they would have an average capacity of 24,500.

·         Their current capacity is 21,500 and attendance is around 15,000 how will they fund the shortfall in revenue?

·         It is being widely stated in the local press and media around that just 22 people vetoed the new stadium with the successful  Village Green application, but a survey earlier this year of local residents in Long Ashton found 188 people objected to the stadium  and only 1 was for it.

 

I could go on but I hope you get my drift

 

[Budgie 0]

Thanks for the Wroxham, put it much better than I could.

I nearly bought a house on Silbury Road recently till I found out what they want to do there. Is the TM site you refer to at the end of Feeder Road where the old Royal Mail building is?

[Bury Green 0]

Has the land in question actually been designated Village Green or is it subject to a claim by residents?

A small but none the less significant point as from personal experience ‘locals’ who employ a planning consultant will often use such a claim to frustrate developments of this type.

Perhaps one or two of you could offer up a bit more detail on the overall nature of the land involved, is it really somewhere that people walk their dogs, play, exercise etc or is it really just some rough land that Pykies would normal try and occupy?

[shefcanary 2,950]

• I also fail to understand why they want a 42,000 capacity stadium (apart from the dubious privilege of possibly hosting a 2018 world cup match if England are selected as hosts) when their own predictions suggest that if they got into the Premier League they would have an average capacity of 24,500.

I have to say my feeling on this matter is the same as the above.  This whole World Cup bid was dreamt up to please the politicians not the majority of real football fans. Gerrymandering at best. 

There have been several parts of the bid that make little sense.  MK Dons being the East Anglia representative not least.  Mmm if only Norwich City Council could have been persuaded to make a pitch surely Carrow road would have made more sense - despite the travel concerns once the fans are there they don''t need to travel far - look at South Africa this summer where some of the travel was over 7-800 miles for one game to the next.

In Sheffield despite its history, as Wednesday are proving aptly at present by going bust, Hillsborough was the wrong ground to focus on.  No chance of private investment (even less now of public investment) with a team going nowhere, a ground 5 miles out of the city centre in what is a part of town lacking in amenities, whereas Bramall Lane has a profitable Development company behind the club with cash to invest, is only 1/2 mile from city centre and has loads of amenities on its door step.  The reason for Hilsborough getting the nod was apparently because there was a park next to the ground where a temporary soccer city camp for those not going to the football could go to, but Bramall Lane has 3 public parks within a mile of it that could easily do it.  Nothing to do of course with 2 Wednesdayites who sit on the FA board though - couldn''t be, could it.

Sorry BCFC supporters, but ambition of your local politicians has been thwarted by a lack of real consultation and overtaken by events.  I''m sure in the end of the ground gets built it will be nothing to do with what the fans want, let alone away fans views.

[the bristol nest 0]

I had no idea that there are so many ex pats in bristol.

I know one of the campaigners against this who lives in the suburb (who believes "la" to be a village - what a depressing dorma town) and share a local with the chief exec of bristol city. they both irritate me immensely but not as much as the city council who thwart all ambition in this town. in westbury on trym where i live they built a health centre instead of a sainsburys which condemns me to shop in a sh1tty co-op. ashton vale already has supermarkets and local shops. a regional hypermarket will bring more people into the area.

build this stadium on the sh1t heap of land that is most certainly not officially designated as a village green and let the rugby and rovers match the ambition if they can. carra would not be allowed today as with most stadiums.

my main concern is that bristol city fans will probably smash it up anyway!

ps am looking forward to taking my 5 year old on saturday and will sign the petition to guarantee a smooth visit to ashton gate.+ On The Ball Bristol fans!

[. 0]

[quote user="Beauseant"][quote user="First Wazzock"][quote user="lappinitup"]

Bristol supporters eh! Better known as bra''s.......

[8-|]

[/quote]

Yeah, they used to be called ''The Over Shoulder Boulder Holders'' but thought that was too much of a mouthful. [:#]

[/quote]

 

And, as we all know, more than a mouthful''s a waste[;)]

[/quote]That''s just plain dirty.

[Woman in the Stands (WITS) 0]

[quote user="Beauseant"][quote user="First Wazzock"][quote user="lappinitup"]

Bristol supporters eh! Better known as bra''s.......

[8-|]

[/quote]

Yeah, they used to be called ''The Over Shoulder Boulder Holders'' but thought that was too much of a mouthful. [:#]

[/quote]

 

And, as we all know, more than a mouthful''s a waste[;)]

[/quote]So is more than a handful [;)]

[Bill 1,788]

Yep, another souless replica stadium that developers and other sundry lowlife can make money out of.

Would be odd if this scam were to get planning permission then ''discover'' that the sums don''t add up. Enhamced land value though.

Maybe the shysters behind this scam should simply refer to themselves as investors - then sit bcak and watch the terminally stupid rush to kiss their a****.

Sometimes I think football and it''s supporters deserve all they get.

[Wroxham Bridge 27]

Hi Bristol Nest and BudgieBristol Nest..... "a regional hypermarket will bring more people into the area"..... don''t know whether you cross the Downs and the river into Bedminster and Southville very often but these are thriving areas full of small businesses which do not need the presence of a major retailer such as Sainsbury, if the store was built there the area would end up like Westbury on Trym! Budgie...yes it is the derelict area on the left hand side of Bristol Temple Meads if you are arriving on a London train.Bristol Nest........it is surprising how many of us have ended up here...last season for the Leeds away match on Sky about 20 city supporters gathered in the Roo Bar in Clifton.

[Wroxham Bridge 27]

Hi Bury GreenYes, the land has now been formally designated as a "Village Green" and BCFC have a very few days left to gather evidence with which to appeal and that it is an area that the residents of Ashton Vale have walked their dogs, I will admit that it is not your typical picturesque Village Green with a pub and cricket square

[Canary Pirate 0]

I say knock down Ashton Gate and move them to Poulton Rovers ground. Rebuild Rovers Eastville ground exactly how it was all those years ago, those were the days " Up the Gas " [:D]

[Budgie 0]

Hi Wroxham. I was at the Leeds and MK dons games in the Roo Bar. So we probably met but I''m guessing you didn''t introduce yourself with your user name?

You are right about there being lots of us down here. A load of us are meeting at the Spotted Cow pre match I think.

[the bristol nest 0]

[quote user="Wroxham Bridge"]Hi Bristol Nest and Budgie

Bristol Nest..... "a regional hypermarket will bring more people into the area"..... don''t know whether you cross the Downs and the river into Bedminster and Southville very often but these are thriving areas full of small businesses which do not need the presence of a major retailer such as Sainsbury, if the store was built there the area would end up like Westbury on Trym!

Budgie...yes it is the derelict area on the left hand side of Bristol Temple Meads if you are arriving on a London train.

Bristol Nest........it is surprising how many of us have ended up here...last season for the Leeds away match on Sky about 20 city supporters gathered in the Roo Bar in Clifton.




[/quote]

Cross the river to the deep dark south? never! apart from going to see shakespeare at the tobacco factory of course!

ps Is there a bristol canary group?