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New Stadium Q&A Review

Following the formal proceeding of The Trust AGM on Thursday 22nd April, there was a Question and Answer session where Trust members were able to put questions to Lesley Clarke (Leader of Wycombe District Council) relating to the new Community Stadium. Lesley was supported by Karen Satterford (CEO of WDC) and Charles Brocklehurst, (Head of Property Services) was also in attendance.

A wide variety of questions was posed to Lesley Clarke and the following represent a brief summary of her answers that follow a logical sequence rather than the chronological order.

1. WDC are currently undertaking an assessment of a number of sites in the Wycombe area for a new “Community Stadium”. As the Council have already allocated land in the Core Strategy, they are obliged to consider all options. The feasibility study will take about a year to complete. It is too early to answer questions of detail, and no consideration has yet been given to the finer points of any new Community Stadium.

2. A community Stadium is intended to embrace not only the needs of WWFC and Wasps, but is intended to encourage sporting participation in the Wycombe area, a centre of sporting excellence, to develop Wycombe’s sporting talent, to encourage sport in local schools and clubs, grow other sports such as Badminton, Netball and Hockey. There will be additional synthetic surfaced pitches. It will be a Sports destination.

3. In response to a particular question as to whether the replacement sports centre would be located on the same site as any new Community Stadium, the response was: No, any new Sports Centre (including swimming pool) will not be linked to the new Community Stadium. It is recognised that the different users are incompatible.

4. The Council want to keep Wasps located in Wycombe and their needs are not served by the existing Adams Park limitation on capacity.

5. Asked whether The Council had considered improving access arrangements to Adams Park, it was confirmed that WDC had considered providing a secondary access but this was not possible due to the topography.

6. The access and egress arrangements for any new stadium would be carefully considered to ensure easy departure by car after a match. There will be a travel plan associated with the new stadium.

7. It is not known what will happen to Adams Park. It is not owned by The Council. It is on a site allocated as Employment Land. (i.e. not housing).

8. The size of the new stadium could be in the range 12,500 to 20,000 capacity.

9. To a specific request that there be no running track around the pitch which would mean fans being too far from the playing area, the response was that there will be no running track around the pitch.

10. Unless WWFC in Championship for 3 years then the stadium will have a safe standing area if at all possible, and Steve Hayes stated that he was right behind a safe standing area and would push hard for one, but that any final decision on this matter would not be his alone.

11. It is estimated that when a club moves to a new stadium, attendances increases by about 50%. Thus WWFC need about 6,500 to 7,500 in current league. Wasps require larger capacity.

12. It is recognised by the Council that there are different needs for the 2 Clubs and they are seeking to ensure that in any design for the new stadium a proper atmosphere can be created when the stadium only partly filled. This could be on similar principle to Stadium MK, although recognised that in this particular case, apart from odd exception, the design of Stadium MK does not create a good atmosphere.

13. The cost of the new stadium is unknown. No feasibility study has been completed.

14. The primacy of matches in any new stadium will be a matter for the clubs to agree upon, not for The Council. The stadium could be used for other events, subject to planning permission being obtained.

15. The cost of building a new stadium will be financed by “Enabling Development”, probably on the same site.

16. The shell of the Stadium will be owned by Wycombe District Council and leased to WWFC and Wasps.

17. Wasps and WWFC will fit out the stadium in accordance with their own requirements.

18. WDC are committed to a consultation process and want to hear the views of interested parties such as the supporters of WWFC as well as local residents.

The Trust would like to thank Lesley Clarke, Karen Satterford and Charles Brocklehurst for their attendance at the meeting, particularly to Lesley Clarke for fielding all the questions and hopes that this Q&A session will be the first of a series of such meetings, where the opinions of the fans can be presented and taken on board by the Council.

24th April 2010

posted in new-stadium-update | 24.04.2010. 11:36

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