Swindon stadium blow

[Gilliver's Travels]

Victory for the tree-huggers? Or common sense?

(From the BBC website)
Swindon's hopes of building a 20,000-seater stadium in the west of the town were effectively ended on Thursday. Councillors voted to keep a community forest at Shaw Park, meaning the club will have to look for a new site.

Robins director Bob Holt told BBC Radio Swindon: "It is going to be a bitter disappointment for us all. "I find I'm just a bit shocked really that we weren't allowed to put in a proper proposal, but the council must do what they feel fit with the land."

The Shaw Park project met with opposition from the outset from some fans and local residents objecting to the loss of green space. But Swindon chairman Willie Carson had pleaded for more time to make amendments to the proposal, which he felt could overcome the objections.

He has warned that the club needs to leave their current County Ground home "to move forward, not just simply survive". Developers St Mowden say they would now like to approach the council and ask for alternative sites for the stadium.

 

[Beach Hut]

Let's hope this isn't the start of a disappointing run on stadium news

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

Hopefully I won't get shot down here. Clearly without Falmer we cannot survive in any meaningful form, and so like 99% of all on here I am totally in favour of it, but I've been to the County Ground twice and don't think it's that bad a ground. If they put a roof over the Stratton Bank, a new stand at the home end, and refurbished the main stand, they would have a pretty decent ground. Having said that, let's hope, as Beach Hut says, that it's not a precedent. Hmm, is this a record? Another poster replies to Beach Hut before Ernest gets in with some drivel?!

 

[Easy 10]

Agreed W H S. I don't think Swindon have the dire urgency for a new ground that we have, as the County Ground adequately caters for their needs at the moment - they're nowhere near filling it week in week out anyway.

Swindons new stadium would be a "nice to have" rather than a "must have". That said, I wish them well in sorting it.