Mmm. Nothing new, except a bit more on the training ground issue. The sticking point, as I understand it (and it was also a similar issue at Allard Way), is that the land owner rents the land to OLs at a low rent as long as it is used for sport. So far so good. The existing buildings on the site were paid for by the OLs, but, legally, they belong to the land owner. That means getting a secured loan is hard. For the OLs, that is not so hard as they have been there decades, are financially stable and are the official tenant. Wasps would be a sub-tenant. First legal hurdle. Next, could they get a secured loan? I doubt it. And, lastly, they are not financially secure (enough). My guess is that whilst Wasps would be the user of the new facilities, the owner would be OLs and the land owner. So, my guess is that the ownership of the new facilities would be a joint venture between Derek and OLs (and ultimately the family that owns the land), with Wasps the paying tenant. Thus if Wasps go belly up, there is no effect on OLs.
The contract will be a nightmare legally, and after all that is done, it still has to be approved by the members at OLs. So, months still to go. Then it has it get planning permission. Then tenders to build, then build. So, target season starting Autumn of 2020. The players must know that, and I guess will not be so happy. This could have been started three years ago and done by now.
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Always a Wasp