And in case you didn't stay up and rush to the site...!Oldham Official SiteIMPORTANT CLUB ANNOUNCEMENT
Posted on: Wed 22 Jul 2009
OLDHAM ATHLETIC AND OLDHAM COUNCIL UNVEIL NEW STADIUM VISIONOldham Athletic and Oldham Council have unveiled regeneration plans for a new £20 million football stadium development and community facilities at a 30-acre Failsworth site.
The scheme - which goes before the Council's Cabinet for approval tonight (July 22) - has been kept under wraps while confidential negotiations with third parties took place.
Officials have been working in partnership for several weeks after the economic downturn forced the club to shelve plans to redevelop its current Boundary Park home.
The new vision is to 'marry' two sites on land off Broadway to become home to a futuristic new stadium - with a proposed capacity of around 12,000 - plus community sports facilities, such as football pitches, and corporate/leisure developments.
Oldham Athletic is now close to concluding a deal to purchase the Lancaster Club from British Aerospace. That would then be twinned with an adjacent area of Council-owned land located to the North of the site - subject to this scheme receiving detailed planning consent.
The League One club would sell its existing Boundary Park home with most of the site likely to be purchased by a private developer of small family homes. Talks are also still ongoing with the Pennine Acute Trust, which runs the Royal Oldham Hospital, which could see 'key workers' homes created on the current car park on Sheepfoot Lane. The capital raised would then be used to fund the new development.
Howard Sykes, Council Leader, said: "A forward-looking Oldham needs a successful professional football club with 21st century facilities and that is the vision this scheme is designed to deliver."
"Oldham Athletic in its present state is haemorrhaging money in a crumbling stadium and is not financially viable in the long-term. The club's owners have long sought a solution and we were happy to work with them when they approached us with this innovative plan.
"There's still a long way to go but the beauty of this scheme is that it could be the catalyst to regenerate two areas that badly need it - namely, the Lancaster club area of Failsworth, and the Boundary Park site - creating new jobs and investment opportunities.
"The recent confirmation that Metrolink is coming to the borough also makes this proposition highly attractive. That would provide convenient, reliable and regular transport access to the area for those not travelling by car and I also understand club officials plan to talk with regional transport officials about a potential matchday tram stop.
"There will obviously be plenty of talking to be done with local residents and affected groups - some of which is already underway - and I am confident that their views will be reflected in any final proposal for the good of the whole community.
"There will be understandable disappointment in some quarters about the club moving away from Boundary Park but sometimes you have to dare to dream. This represents a fantastic opportunity for the borough as a whole and is a bold and imaginative step forward."
Simon Corney, Oldham Athletic's Managing Director and co-owner, said: "Since buying the club more than six years ago we have toiled to deliver a development that finally gives the club and its' fans the facilities it so desperately lacks."
"We feel very upbeat and positive having made more progress in the past six weeks or so than we previously did in as many years and I would like to thank Oldham Council, and in particular Howard Sykes and Charlie Parker (Chief Executive) for their efforts in helping to accommodate our plans.
"We haven't taken the decision to leave Boundary Park lightly - it was our preferred option to redevelop it - but the credit crunch means the land value and market conditions have diminished to an extent which makes that scheme no longer economically viable.
"In its current state Oldham Athletic is dying. Our revenue fell 20 per cent again last year and we're now attracting attendances on a par with many League Two clubs. This new vision gives us an opportunity to provide a facility that will create new revenue streams to make the club financially viable and self-sustaining, whilst also giving supporters a superior matchday experience.
"As with our earlier plans for an 'Oldham Arena' at Boundary Park, we also see this as an unprecedented opportunity to spark regeneration and provide much-needed facilities that the borough presently lacks."
Initial talks have taken place with two parties directly affected by the new proposals.
The Allotments Society currently has 15 plots on the land owned by Oldham Council. Oldham Athletic has already agreed to provide financial compensation plus 20 new plots on a larger site nearby or within the new development.
Failsworth Dynamos FC had previously indicated they were also hoping to use an area of that site for a new club facility. Oldham Athletic has already held preliminary talks with them and indicated they are willing to accommodate that aspiration.
Subject to Cabinet approval, Oldham Athletic will next commission architects to work up more comprehensive plans. The club then expects to submit a detailed application to be considered by the borough's Planning Committee by the end of 2009. If successful, they would then sign a 24-month conditional development agreement to undertake construction work on the land owned by Oldham Council. Upon completion, the club would then sign a long-term lease with the local authority.
Simon Corney added: "Much work remains to be done on the detail of these plans but I want to reassure local residents they will not be living next door to some monstrous and imposing facility."
"We pledge to consult with them when formulating our planning application. This will be a community stadium built along the lines of the recent models at Colchester and Shrewsbury, for example, and we look forward to working with them on this exciting scheme."
www.oldhamathletic.co.uk/page/NewsUpdate/0,,10337~1728419,00.html
