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Newcastle 2020


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2 hours ago, *JJ said:

Several years ago, when Somerset came to Perry Barr, the announcer spent all night playing Wurzels songs! I bet the Rebels fans were gritting their teeth by the end, but no-one complained, unlike Poole .

This was probably in retaliation for a local radio DJ in Somerset, Steve Yabsley saying on air his version of the claim of how close we are to rats in daily life with "In Weston-super-Mare you're never more than ten yards away from a Brummie"....

 

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19 hours ago, ruffdiamond said:

Is it the place, just south of the 'shop park', as you go down the Fossway, or to the east of it on the map?

Directly across from the exit out of Brough Park,  on the other side of the Fossway. 

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52 minutes ago, andys said:

Does anybody know what arcerage the likes of Somerset or even redcars stadium covers just to get some idea of what we're looking for... 

Newcastles track takes up about 2 acres.

The likes of Berwick and formerly Workington, went round a football pitch, which is about 1.8 acres.

Edited by ruffdiamond
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The idea of the old seimans ground sounds a fantastic idea. To build the stadium solely  for speedway no so much,  it would be good to get a stadium we’re other sports would rent ie football rugby etc be good to get revenue from other sports wanting to use the ground. 
Be good to have a nice venue to get live bands too. Picture it lovely food supplied by Rob him self,guest foods to like screaming pizza. Local real ales on tap. 
What do you’s think

Alan
 

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Indoor ice arena to do ice hockey, bring back the Vipers, and the Newcastle 'ice dogs' ;) The only ice speedway team in the country...

I'm sure Rob has lots of things in mind to make money from the new stadium, I'm sure he won't want to lose out... He seems to be rolling in it already though

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On 7/1/2020 at 5:06 PM, TotallyHonestJohn said:

So here goes...

How attached are we to Brough Park...

I have heard through some racing colleagues at High Gosforth Park that the dogs are contemplating running televised Sunday dog meetings at Brough Park to be beamed nationally into the high street bookies... now depending on what time these meetings run 11:00 to 14:00 hours; 12:00 to 15:00 hours or 13:00 to 16:00 hours depending on the bookies requirements this could have a major impact on the speedway...

The track prep happens on a Sunday and they need all the time they can get... What will happen to the Gems and Sapphires as I believe they were going to be run before the main meeting... they would be looking very doubtful and would possibly need another venue... if we have bad weather the night before the "call offs" would be very early... As the dogs bring in much more revenue than the speedway it makes things very difficult for Rob as its all about cash these day... we have run in the past on a shared Sunday with the dogs but I believe it will be very difficult...

So if Rob Grant was to come up with another venue how much of an issue would this be for people to move?

Regards
THJ

 

So on the 1st of July 2020 the question was raised about a move to another track and it wasn't received very warmly to say the least; however it now seems that it is being embraced with various sites and options being proposed but the main thing being overlooked with all the proposals being put forward is as follows...

All free land in the region is now being assessed for housing and that includes land formally thought of as not being suitable for housing; so land previously contaminated; land previously prone to flooding; land on difficult terrain that requires the likes of contiguous piling and land over mine workings and under high voltage lines.... Land and "any land" is now at a premium and the nearer you get to the city centre the more it will command value wise... Brough will be a housing estate within the next 20 years or less for sure...

There is contaminated land on a city centre site (by the now empty O2 Arena) and it will cost £350k an acre in "Remediation Works" to sort the contamination  issues out so what that means is Remedial Works for investigating, removing, remedying, cleaning up, abating, modifying or ameliorating the presence or effects of any and all "Hazardous Materials" and it will be very costly. This is all before any founds or footings go into the ground and a brick is laid... The costs are astronomical and the only site I can remember in the last 20 years that went on hold was in North Shields on a former hide and tanning site where animals were processed and we found dormant Anthrax spores on the site which at the time proved too costly an exercise to remove to make the site viable. However I was told recently that developers were back looking at the site as the returns on the development were starting to make this a viable site once again.

We have been down this route before and discussed this to death just a couple of months back and honestly it will take an awful lot of good will from any of the regions local authorities to make anything happen and who other than a Speedway fan would have a noisy; smelly; dust creating speedway track anywhere near their homes because again we are not talking about one day a week here as Rob Grant wants to develop a training track and hire the place out utilising it to its maximum; so lets get real people its not going to happen around any built up area; on any type of land that could be used first and foremost for housing then secondly for job creation developments like a trading estate.

So we are back looking at areas where noise; smell; dust creation traffic and crowds wont be an issue and with reasonable traffic links... and this leads us back to the likes of the outskirts of Cramlington; Blyth; Gloucester Sports Field near Seaton Sluice; Bedlington or on the way out of Newcastle on the A69 to the back end of Throckley which is the very outskirts of Newcastle or possibly on the Tyne Tunnel Approach Road at the back of the SUEZ recycling and recovery UK plant in Willington Quay which is in North Tyneside or how about at the other site ARC own in the area "High Gosforth Park" at the race track? they have land that used to be Rugby pitches that are no longer used and it was used for an open air concert just recently. After all the Reuben Brothers said they wanted to invest in Newcastle whilst trying to buy Newcastle United with "Wor Manda" and the "Saudi PIF" 

However the issues don't stop there as the bigger question should be who will finance the building of the new set up (note I did not say Stadium), I asked the question the last time as to what it cost to set up the likes of Redcar and Scunthorpe without getting any feedback however both are good Speedway set ups... I was told (and I don't know how true it is) that Rob Godfrey spent £150 grand back in the day to set up Scunny which was pretty basic when he first started out but he has successfully added and improved the venue over the last 15/20 years to where it is now. So where does this start up cash come from? and even if it is just £150k to get the ball rolling that's not peanuts by any stretch of the imagination. Finding 12/20 Acres of land is just the start of the problems..

Sorry if it seems I am "scooting on anyone's parade" but this is a big issue for the club; the fans the promotion and the region if they want to keep a Newcastle Speedway team...

Regards
THJ

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THJ

 

I heard at the weekend that the Seimen's site I referred to earlier, was originally the chosen site for a new St James Park. As that has not happened, and unlike to happen, it would definately be classed as industrial land, and I don't think it is contaminated  land either. Being on the doorstep of our present track, surely this land must be the first location to be checked out. Have you any 'heads up' John of availability and the possibility of converting it to a speedway raceway. The area has always been our home, and i'm not sure how many people would continue to attend if it was in some far flung new location.The Seimen's site is actually two sites split by Shields Road. What about the chances of getting the new track alongside the Metro line, with the Chillingham Road Metro station on our doorstep. Here's hoping.

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43 minutes ago, Tsunami said:

The area has always been our home, and i'm not sure how many people would continue to attend if it was in some far flung new location.The Seimen's site is actually two sites split by Shields Road. What about the chances of getting the new track alongside the Metro line, with the Chillingham Road Metro station on our doorstep. Here's hoping.

Just wandering how many fans live close by or rely on public transport to get to Brough?

Also, would a far flung new location maybe attract new fans?

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1 hour ago, Tsunami said:

THJ

 

I heard at the weekend that the Seimen's site I referred to earlier, was originally the chosen site for a new St James Park. As that has not happened, and unlike to happen, it would definately be classed as industrial land, and I don't think it is contaminated  land either. Being on the doorstep of our present track, surely this land must be the first location to be checked out. Have you any 'heads up' John of availability and the possibility of converting it to a speedway raceway. The area has always been our home, and i'm not sure how many people would continue to attend if it was in some far flung new location.The Seimen's site is actually two sites split by Shields Road. What about the chances of getting the new track alongside the Metro line, with the Chillingham Road Metro station on our doorstep. Here's hoping.

Dave

I can remember when that site was being mooted as the new St James Park replacement and I would also would suggest you are right in that the land will be classified as "Industrial Land" however to hold Speedway it will need a change of classification from a current B Classification (As it will be a classification from B1 through to B8 for its current purpose) to a "Sui generis" classification and this will need planning permission and it as at this stage where it will come unstuck I would suggest. Most classifications can swap over as long as certain criteria are met without going to planning as I have been involved with in the past when we built a leisure centre on an old industrial site but the D2 Planning Classification which states as follows

D2. Assembly and leisure - Cinemas, music and concert halls, bingo and dance halls (but not night clubs), swimming baths, skating rinks, gymnasiums or area for indoor or outdoor sports and recreations (except for motor sports, or where firearms are used).

You will note from the above the D2 Classification strictly rules out motor sports hence the need of a Sui generis classification and the requirement for full planning consent which in that location may struggle to go through. The whole planning process is an absolute minefield (unless you can get buy in from local councillors and the local MP's) and more so for motor sports...

If you are struggling to sleep have a look at this it explains a great deal of it

https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Use_class_designation_for_land_and_buildings

That's why some brown field sites that haven't been fully classified yet can be easier to develop than a site already with a classification and again its all down to cash and also how many jobs you can create within the development area. If they were to say they were opening a hotel; a cafe; a pub and other venues with employment opportunities and create 10/20/30 full time jobs then this carries a great deal of weigh and the planning is looked upon more favourably. That is why a private site off plan so to speak would be a better call...

51 minutes ago, ruffdiamond said:

Just wandering how many fans live close by or rely on public transport to get to Brough?

Also, would a far flung new location maybe attract new fans?

I am with you on this one Ruff as the car park is always full(ish) there are many travelling fans and also with a new location it will surely show a bounce on new fans who are new fangled with something different to do near to where they live

Regards
THJ

Edited by TotallyHonestJohn
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16 minutes ago, TotallyHonestJohn said:

Dave

I can remember when that site was being mooted as the new St James Park replacement and I would also would suggest you are right in that the land will be classified as "Industrial Land" however to hold Speedway it will need a change of classification from a current B Classification (As it will be a classification from B1 through to B8 for its current purpose) to a "Sui generis" classification and this will need planning permission and it as at this stage where it will come unstuck I would suggest. Most classifications can swap over as long as certain criteria are met without going to planning as I have been involved with in the past when we built a leisure centre on an old industrial site but the D2 Planning Classification which states as follows

D2. Assembly and leisure - Cinemas, music and concert halls, bingo and dance halls (but not night clubs), swimming baths, skating rinks, gymnasiums or area for indoor or outdoor sports and recreations (except for motor sports, or where firearms are used).

You will note from the above the D2 Classification strictly rules out motor sports hence the need of a Sui generis classification and the requirement for full planning consent which in that location may struggle to go through. The whole planning process is an absolute minefield (unless you can get buy in from local councillors and the local MP's) and more so for motor sports...

If you are struggling to sleep have a look at this it explains a great deal of it

https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Use_class_designation_for_land_and_buildings

That's why some brown field sites that haven't been fully classified yet can be easier to develop than a site already with a classification and again its all down to cash and also how many jobs you can create within the development area. If they were to say they were opening a hotel; a cafe; a pub and other venues with employment opportunities and create 10/20/30 full time jobs then this carries a great deal of weigh and the planning is looked upon more favourably. That is why a private site off plan so to speak would be a better call...

I am with you on this one Ruff as the car park is always full(ish) there are many travelling fans and also with a new location it will surely show a bounce on new fans who are new fangled with something different to do near to where they live

Regards
THJ

Was talking to my old boss last week and, he was on about 'new planning regulations', (or non at all, depending on how you look at it),,, that the government are trying to push thru during this coronavirus carry-on. He was saying that you'll be able to build what you like, even build upwards on properties you have/own. Dunno how that fares with sports venues tho, a think he was implying that it would favour the developers and not local residents. 

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40 minutes ago, ruffdiamond said:

Was talking to my old boss last week and, he was on about 'new planning regulations', (or non at all, depending on how you look at it),,, that the government are trying to push thru during this coronavirus carry-on. He was saying that you'll be able to build what you like, even build upwards on properties you have/own. Dunno how that fares with sports venues tho, a think he was implying that it would favour the developers and not local residents. 

Yes, that was a new plan from Boris called " Build, Build, Build' which would allow restrictions to be ripped up to rejuvenate the Building sector.

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THJ

 

I am aware of the long term plan to swop the classification of 'only Sport' for Brough Park, being swopped with the ex Parsons land in order to build houses on the Brough Park site.

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12 minutes ago, Tsunami said:

Yes, that was a new plan from Boris called " Build, Build, Build' which would allow restrictions to be ripped up to rejuvenate the Building sector.

Yeah but Dave, when we come out of this crisis, there's possibly gonna be millions unemployed. If there is anyone left that wants to invest in the future, maybe provide work/employment for the area, all avenues need be looked into.

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