The Latest Revision

Yesterday, Rovers announced yet more alterations to their stadium plans. The new idea is to develop the commercial, residential and stadium development in phases allowing the stadium to remain in use during the development.

This phased demolition and construction would inevitably take longer than an intensive development and will therefore extend the period where construction noise and muddied roads reduce the amenity of the area. It also removes one of the few consolations of the construction which was to be a respite from the matches for a a year and a half.

Having to vacate the ground was always a huge problem for Rovers and Bristol Rugby because fans would have to travel further, gate profits would be lower and the “home” match advantage would be reduced. So if this was really a practical possibility surely it would have been the plan from the outset and not now that money is tighter than ever.

The reason this has not be seriously considered before is that it probably cannot be done. Other grounds have certainly managed it but they have had direct road access and more room on their sites. The current plans will almost entirely fill the site leaving only enough room around the edge for a one way road between the building and the back gardens of the houses that surround the site on all four sides.

Phasing work will add complications to the construction and will increase costs. It sounds as if the plan is to build the “east” side of the new stadium first on what is currently the car park. This will require the demolition of the current tall east stand but the concrete terraces would remain during this first phase. The Trubshaw Gardens entrance would have to be closed as an entrance for fans. At the end of the season, phase two would begin with the demolition of the terraces on the east and north sides and the pitch moved northward and eastward. This is a massive undertaking involving the bulk of the excavations and for it to be completed within the three months between seasons is optimistic in the extreme. Construction of the north, south and west sides of the new building could then proceed during the season. This time the other two entrances would be closed to spectators who would only be able to enter via the Trubshaw Gardens entrance.

In order to host events the stadium is required to meet certain safety standards. Part of that is the ability for spectators to exit the site quickly and safely in the event of an emergency and for emergency services to gain access. The fact that the stadium site is not on a road and can only be accessed through the three alleyways between houses on Filton Avenue is already a safety issue. If one or more of these is closed due to construction work, the site may simply not be permitted to host events.

It is interesting that the negotiations for the S106 contract for the March 2008 planning decision has not progressed since the announcement that the backers of the scheme had pulled out. The S106 is the contract between the developers (in this case Rovers), and Bristol City Council which makes the planning permission official. Usually this contract would be signed within six months of the permission, but Rovers were granted an extra six months to sign the previous contract. Without this contract nothing can be built so it is odd that this has been left unattended.
Update: 24 Oct 2008, 17:48, We have just learned that the S106 was signed days in advance of yesterday's announcement. We are trying to get some more facts on this but it has significant implications and we will be making a posting within the next 24 hours to explain.

Even with legal planning permission, the developers are still required to submit plans for demoltion and construction process which have to be approved by the Council for compliance to regulations. It was conspicuous that no such plans had been submitted to the council in the run up the to most recently cancelled start date for the project. It will be interesting to see when and if such plans are submitted for this newest revision.

The announcement on the Rovers web site is at pains not to overstate the certainty of the scheme admitting it will need to pass many approvals, has not yet appointed a contractor, and does not have financing in place (or even a specific candidate backer).

"Needless to say we will still have to obtain a number of approvals to progress the regeneration of the Stadium in this manner. These include the Football League, Football Foundation, Football Licencing Authority, Bristol City Council, Statutory Services and the Safety Advisory Group.

“We hope to be in a position to appoint [the main contractor] in the coming weeks when we have finalised the lump sum price for the project

"Due to the current turmoil in the financial markets, it is not certain that we will be able to achieve the necessary funding in the manner we first planned, and the board are now exploring alternative proposals with various other parties.

"Our agents are currently out to the market with student accommodation providers and hotel operators and we hope to receive bids in the near future.

These will give the board a good selection of excuses when they want to announce the next delay to the construction. Probably the biggest advantage of the latest revision for the board is that uncertainty about where home matches will be played will not be a problem when they announce further delays and changes.