BB Breaking - Announcements

[hookender]

I've said it on here, but am I right in remembering that we enquired 8 years ago about using that newly built stadium and were told that they didn't want rugby there?


If so, do we know why they policy changed?

Correct. Part of Planning application restrictions. Guessing costs played a factor in council changing mind- isn’t it a community stadium?

[DGP Wasp]

Oh, and the Brentford stadium is excellent. The right sort of size for rugby, close to the pitch, and about as far from the soulless bowl of the Madejski (and dare I say, the CBS) as you could imagine.

[Neils]

I've said it on here, but am I right in remembering that we enquired 8 years ago about using that newly built stadium and were told that they didn't want rugby there?


If so, do we know why they policy changed?

Correct we apparently were serious and it went before the Planners but they indicated that the Planning Approval was for a one sport stadium. Later the site scheme was quite greatly reduced and when Irish approached Brentford the Planners were more amenable to allowing rugby as additional income. By this time we had firmly committed to the adventure north. We allow were in discussions with a borough close to Barnet (forget which) but asfter lengthy discussions it turned out the local council were only interested in letting the stadium.

[DGP Wasp]

I've said it on here, but am I right in remembering that we enquired 8 years ago about using that newly built stadium and were told that they didn't want rugby there?


If so, do we know why they policy changed?

Correct. Part of Planning application restrictions. Guessing costs played a factor in council changing mind- isn’t it a community stadium?

Yes, just unfortunate timing for Wasps. I believe Wasps approached Brentford about a possible JV, but Brentford understandably after years in development and planning, were in no mood to hand over half of it to anyone, while Wasps, equally understadably, were in no mood to continue as tenants of a football club, however good the ground.

[bigad82]

The Midland Hurricanes (last year Coventry Bears RL) are playing at Portway this season with the plan of moving to the Alexander Stadium at Perry barr.
It's a long shot.

[wasps]

I've said it on here, but am I right in remembering that we enquired 8 years ago about using that newly built stadium and were told that they didn't want rugby there?


If so, do we know why they policy changed?

Correct we apparently were serious and it went before the Planners but they indicated that the Planning Approval was for a one sport stadium. Later the site scheme was quite greatly reduced and when Irish approached Brentford the Planners were more amenable to allowing rugby as additional income. By this time we had firmly committed to the adventure north. We allow were in discussions with a borough close to Barnet (forget which) but asfter lengthy discussions it turned out the local council were only interested in letting the stadium.

We definitely had some discussions with St Alban's council

[MarleyWasp]

I've said it on here, but am I right in remembering that we enquired 8 years ago about using that newly built stadium and were told that they didn't want rugby there?


If so, do we know why they policy changed?

Correct we apparently were serious and it went before the Planners but they indicated that the Planning Approval was for a one sport stadium. Later the site scheme was quite greatly reduced and when Irish approached Brentford the Planners were more amenable to allowing rugby as additional income. By this time we had firmly committed to the adventure north. We allow were in discussions with a borough close to Barnet (forget which) but asfter lengthy discussions it turned out the local council were only interested in letting the stadium.

That was Hertsmere Borough Council. A Wasps Director told me their brilliant offer involved Wasps paying for the build to their specifications and them owning it and getting the 24/7 365 income.

The site, for those who know Borehamwood was next door to the Holiday Inn by the A1 and is now the home of Sky Studios Elstree, which they're already expanding. It's a 15 minute walk from my house so I know the area well.

The council wanted it to have a hotel, which is fairly pointless as in addition to the Holiday Inn next door, there's a Travelodge across the road and a Premier Inn across the road from the Travelodge, with another Travelodge and an Ibis nearby, all of which are rarely full.

Egress isn't great. The A1 junction isn't designed for a stadium nearby and wouldn't be
able to cope. With the way the roads are designed traffic would grind to a halt. It's also as far from Elstree and Borehamwood station as you can get. Traffic in the town would grind to a halt with shuttle buses. I'm already taking a cross country detour to avoid the traffic the studios are creating and they're not even fully open yet.

Finally Borehamwood isn't a Rugby town and what little support there is, is almost exclusively Saracens.

I've thought about it a lot and the only plus point I could find to it was that if I cycled there I could pop home to check on the dog and make it back for the second half.

[Andywasp50]

NWW, I was thinking somewhere like Oxford could be a good location. Roughly 1 hour drive from Henley and Lemington Spa, 45 min train from Cov, 1 Hour trains from London, and ~1h30 drive from Surrey/Kent. Location ticks a lot of boxes.

Closer to Wycombe then Maidenhead could have been a shout, but much earlier in the redevelopment plans so too late now.  It's also too far from EPIC and where most players are currently based.

I think Oxford will struggle for land and they already have the Kassam, which could play at but as tenants only, could work as a temporary fix.  An area with lots of development and pretty good transport links for a potential new stadium closer to EPIC could be Bicester.  Further South, nearer a train station could be Thame - but there'd need to be much more infrastructure development and no idea on land close to Haddenham/Thame Parkway.

Maidenhead council are planning to move the Football club to Braywick park (a large area with a hotel, leisure centre and Maidenhead rugby club plus training pitches) and work with them to build a new stadium. Maybe that’s an opening - excellent road and rail links already in place and a decent catchment area for Berks, Bucks, Oxon and Chiltern areas.

Not the full story. Maidenhead RFC have a 1st XV playing in Regional Premier and thriving minis and juniors sections which covers much of Braywick Park on a Sunday morning. The land is council owned and they want to dump a football stadium for Maidenhead Utd FC on land that is currently used by the minis, with no real answer to the question of where they will go once the stadium appears. The rugby club has excellent facilities and a 4G pitch, which while not universally popular, means that the facility can get a lot of use from county games, age group matches, women's and all levels of senior men's rugby. Needless to say, the stadium proposal does not sit well with the rugby club, and if Wasps rocked up in partnership with Maidenhead Utd, then they would seriously alienate the local rugby club literally on their doorstep, a club whose members they would be heavily reliant on for support.

And as for Maidenhead not being "not a rugby heartland", please see above. No shortage of interest, but tread very carefully.

(All academic anyway!)

I’ve seen the meetings re consultation regarding the Football Club move but didn’t realise they were planning to build a stadium where the minis and juniors play. Maidenhead is being turned into a dystopian nightmare a la Blade Runner, and they seem to want to move everything out of town and kill off the green spaces and parks.

It’s very much a rugby area along the Thames in that region.

[Heathen]

Maidenhead United play in the National League, one step below the EFL. Their York Road ground is cramped and parking is a nightmare, given it location, close to the town centre.

I can see the motivation of the Council to move them to something more accessible.

[Garuda]

The Midland Hurricanes (last year Coventry Bears RL) are playing at Portway this season with the plan of moving to the Alexander Stadium at Perry barr.
It's a long shot.

Alex will always be an athletics stadium  meaning a permanent running track and long jump area etc.  Any rugby crowd would sitting a mile away from the pitch

[BlackAndGoldSunglasses]

I see we're still discussing possible stadiums / venues

Staying on the Birmingham theme, how about some radical thinking? Indoors at the NIA. Go full Racing 92 showbiz. Great infrastructure, hosted sporting events, variable seating from 6K to 15K. Atmosphere would be through the roof, might bring in more casuals as well as the hardcore. It's owned by NEC Group who were interested in Wasps (may still be?).

Maybe not for a venue for a Championship club, mind you.

As you were.

[WonkyWasp]

If it is indoors would that mean (whispers) plastic ''grass''?

[BlackAndGoldSunglasses]

If it is indoors would that mean (whispers) plastic ''grass''?

'fraid so!

[Sisu]

Listening to Stephen Vaughan on the rugby pod, If there is to be wasps team next year it is highly likely that we will still be playing at the CBS. Really interesting listen….

[BlackAndGoldSunglasses]

Yeah, that's definitely coming across as the preferred option from what's left of the club.

We shall see, I guess.