Royal Elm Park - A Missed Opportunity?

[PATRIQT]

But I think what's underneath it, and the way the car park is built on vented landfill that still creates methane, makes it permanently unsuitable for residential development.

But the Thai's got planning permission to build flats on it. Permission for the plans was granted in April 2017.

[YorkshireRoyal99]

Unless someone can confirm that some development work has started on this (and that could be as little as knocking a wall down or something more insignificant) I believe the whole lot will have to go back to the drawing board as planning permission I think runs out in November 2023 so if it’s not underway somehow by then it’ll be interesting to see whether the Thais rock up again with the Council or whether Mr Dai might try and buy the land back for the club at that juncture.

It shouldn't be too hard to reapply for planning permission considering we've already got it once. The developers have until 29th November 2025 to submit an outline plan and other applications specifying the details have until 29th November 2028 and to be completed by 29th November 2030, so time is on our side with it. The developers will know for sure if this project is to go ahead.

[Mr Angry]

But I think what's underneath it, and the way the car park is built on vented landfill that still creates methane, makes it permanently unsuitable for residential development.

But the Thai's got planning permission to build flats on it. Permission for the plans was granted in April 2017.

That looks a nightmare; how many car journey's will that development be responsible for where is the creation of Green Park station?

There also doesn't appear to be any thought given to the creation of shops or schools - presumably more pressure on local amenities?

[Green]

Unless someone can confirm that some development work has started on this (and that could be as little as knocking a wall down or something more insignificant) I believe the whole lot will have to go back to the drawing board as planning permission I think runs out in November 2023 so if it’s not underway somehow by then it’ll be interesting to see whether the Thais rock up again with the Council or whether Mr Dai might try and buy the land back for the club at that juncture.

I think it is more likely Mr. Dai would buy the land for himself, rather than than the club.

Quite.

He's long since sold the club down the river in any case.

[Whore Jackie]

But I think what's underneath it, and the way the car park is built on vented landfill that still creates methane, makes it permanently unsuitable for residential development.

But the Thai's got planning permission to build flats on it. Permission for the plans was granted in April 2017.

That looks a nightmare; how many car journey's will that development be responsible for where is the creation of Green Park station?

There also doesn't appear to be any thought given to the creation of shops or schools - presumably more pressure on local amenities?

Generally, you'd be right with new developments lacking infrastructure. But, Green Park station is less than 15 minutes walk away, there's a Tesco Express next door to the station, with a primary school built as park of the Green Park Village development. And Oakbank secondary school is 7 minutes in the car, 15 minutes on a bike. It's pretty well served by buses too. Reckon there's still a compelling opportunity there, unless you're a Reading fan!

[Green]

Yeh if we listened to Mr Angry we'd never build any new homes, which we badly need.

Build it and they will come I say.

[Royal_jimmy]

One that's gone quiet for a while now.

There's one thing that keeps irking on my mind about this development. Didn't the Thai's say the club would benefit from this financially with a constant income stream when it's built?

I never like pointing the finger to someone who gave us the most successful period in the clubs history, but can't help but think John Madejski missed a trick with this one when he owned the club. I'm sure when getting his money back he'd have let the club get a permanent revenue source from this to fund the club (playing squads etc) from property rents etc. Especially as a commercial man and with Nigel Howe on the board at the time. The club could have made £3-5m potentially in income per year from this, not lots but would have paid for some of the upkeep to the club.

Instead we gave the land away when SJM sold to the Thai's and didn't do anything with it ourselves.

Don't know how the EFL would view a club receiving income via non-football related soruces.

What is the difference to clubs having hotels and sports villages?

I never liked the idea of REP. The Thai's were asset strippers and only had their own interests at heart. We would have lost crucial car parking leading to a bigger decline in attendances. We might have made a small % in additional income only. For the club it was a terrible idea.

Who parks at the stadium on match days now? Whoever pays £15 a game is a mug

[Royal_jimmy]

Does feel regardless that we've messed this up. Another few hundred flats could even help our attendances and win us a few more fans.

[Snowflake Royal]

Don't know how the EFL would view a club receiving income via non-football related soruces.

What is the difference to clubs having hotels and sports villages?

I never liked the idea of REP. The Thai's were asset strippers and only had their own interests at heart. We would have lost crucial car parking leading to a bigger decline in attendances. We might have made a small % in additional income only. For the club it was a terrible idea.

Who parks at the stadium on match days now? Whoever pays £15 a game is a mug

Well it looked full yesterday, so there's a lot of mugs.

[Lower West]

Don't know how the EFL would view a club receiving income via non-football related soruces.

Aren't income from a hotel and a conference centre non-football related sources?

Well the thing I'm getting at, is why don't other clubs have multiple external investments to supplement income if it's something your allowed to do, or do they potentially already do that?

Arsenal's conference facilities being a good example. Anything between 10 and 2000 delegates can be catered for.

[RoyalBlue]

One that's gone quiet for a while now.

There's one thing that keeps irking on my mind about this development. Didn't the Thai's say the club would benefit from this financially with a constant income stream when it's built?

I never like pointing the finger to someone who gave us the most successful period in the clubs history, but can't help but think John Madejski missed a trick with this one when he owned the club. I'm sure when getting his money back he'd have let the club get a permanent revenue source from this to fund the club (playing squads etc) from property rents etc. Especially as a commercial man and with Nigel Howe on the board at the time. The club could have made £3-5m potentially in income per year from this, not lots but would have paid for some of the upkeep to the club.

Instead we gave the land away when SJM sold to the Thai's and didn't do anything with it ourselves.

Don't know how the EFL would view a club receiving income via non-football related soruces.

You might be right but, if so, it just shows how moronic the EFL's approach is. Why shouldn't a football club be able to make money from the land it owns (or through any other legal means) and be able to pump that profit into its footballing operations.

[Royal_jimmy]

One that's gone quiet for a while now.

There's one thing that keeps irking on my mind about this development. Didn't the Thai's say the club would benefit from this financially with a constant income stream when it's built?

I never like pointing the finger to someone who gave us the most successful period in the clubs history, but can't help but think John Madejski missed a trick with this one when he owned the club. I'm sure when getting his money back he'd have let the club get a permanent revenue source from this to fund the club (playing squads etc) from property rents etc. Especially as a commercial man and with Nigel Howe on the board at the time. The club could have made £3-5m potentially in income per year from this, not lots but would have paid for some of the upkeep to the club.

Instead we gave the land away when SJM sold to the Thai's and didn't do anything with it ourselves.

Don't know how the EFL would view a club receiving income via non-football related soruces.

You might be right but, if so, it just shows how moronic the EFL's approach is. Why shouldn't a football club be able to make money from the land it owns (or through any other legal means) and be able to pump that profit into its footballing operations.

This exactly, isn't the point of the rules to protect clubs from making huge losses and risking administration. Who cares where the money comes from

[Dirk Gently]

Don't know how the EFL would view a club receiving income via non-football related soruces.

You might be right but, if so, it just shows how moronic the EFL's approach is. Why shouldn't a football club be able to make money from the land it owns (or through any other legal means) and be able to pump that profit into its footballing operations.

This exactly, isn't the point of the rules to protect clubs from making huge losses and risking administration. Who cares where the money comes from

That's one of the points. They're also trying to balance that with stopping individual club owners throwing massive sums at the league and making it uncompetitive - even harder when there are various clubs with parachute payments.

Trying to do all this with a single set of rules clearly makes those rules a complete pig's ear - but we knew what they were and completely ignored them.

[Snowflake Royal]

Don't know how the EFL would view a club receiving income via non-football related soruces.

You might be right but, if so, it just shows how moronic the EFL's approach is. Why shouldn't a football club be able to make money from the land it owns (or through any other legal means) and be able to pump that profit into its footballing operations.

This exactly, isn't the point of the rules to protect clubs from making huge losses and risking administration. Who cares where the money comes from

It's not exactly this though is it, because the EFL don't have any issue with income from non-football related sources. Their issue is owners loading clubs with debt and spending beyond income.