Stadium Updates (All Clubs)

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Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954

The plans for phase one are already done.

We've been waiting on proper money for development works. This is crumbs from the table sort of craic. We'll be waiting another few years for proper money again.

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I asked before Nigel about how the developer could renege on committments just cause the value of Finn Park had bombed out. You said that the funding was there and in place and that there were other things holding up the build ie issues with the builder. But now you are saying that you are waiting for 'proper money' to fnish the stand. Is the builder still in the picture? With the recovery of land prices is Finn Park still on the table to be sold to pay for the new development?

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Originally Posted by Nesta99

I asked before Nigel about how the developer could renege on committments just cause the value of Finn Park had bombed out. You said that the funding was there and in place and that there were other things holding up the build ie issues with the builder. But now you are saying that you are waiting for 'proper money' to fnish the stand. Is the builder still in the picture? With the recovery of land prices is Finn Park still on the table to be sold to pay for the new development?

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Still the same builder. A redraw of plans meant a redraw of grant money.

It'll still take a proper draw of money to finish the work though. This money is for consultancy work, proper money needed to complete works.

So the funding wasnt in place?

Best of luck to Harps. A well run club that you would very rarely hear anything bad about. A lot of other clubs could learn a lot from them.

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Originally Posted by Nesta99

So the funding wasnt in place?

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Well, I'm no expert on it, but it was previously, but with a redraw of plans presumably that meant the old grant was then tossed and a new one had to be applied for.

Any money previously allocated was for a different plan, if you get me, which couldn't be then used for new plans.

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Originally Posted by Sean South

A small stand with 1000 seats on one side and a bit of tarmacadam around the the other 3 sides would probably do for now just to get them playing in the new ground. If there ever becomes a real demand, not just once off games where the bandwagon come out. They could build another 1000 seater stand then, but that's unlikely in the medium term.

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That has worked well for Athlone

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Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954

Well, I'm no expert on it, but it was previously, but with a redraw of plans presumably that meant the old grant was then tossed and a new one had to be applied for.

Any money previously allocated was for a different plan, if you get me, which couldn't be then used for new plans.

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Why? The former stand should now be in place and be a lot better than waiting for funding for the new 'plan'. Sounds like someone is doing a whole lot of a*sing around!!! So half a stand was built and payed for at least partly by government, at some stage the plans were changed and allocated funding for the project was recinded. Now there is a new plan and some funding for it where there is already half of the old plan built and now there isnt the funding available to finish even part of either plan?? Tallaght didnt have half as much messing going on to get built. There needs to be a few hard questions for the board and what the relationship between them and the builder is. It sounds like a Bray job that sort of worked.

It's probably not as complicated as that.

The main stand is the same, but plans for the rest of the ground redrawn. But, you can't go on with the rest of the main stand and then redraw the plans for the rest of the ground as all part of the one main build.

If that makes sense?

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Originally Posted by Nesta99

Why? The former stand should now be in place and be a lot better than waiting for funding for the new 'plan'. Sounds like someone is doing a whole lot of a*sing around!!! So half a stand was built and payed for at least partly by government, at some stage the plans were changed and allocated funding for the project was recinded. Now there is a new plan and some funding for it where there is already half of the old plan built and now there isnt the funding available to finish even part of either plan?? Tallaght didnt have half as much messing going on to get built. There needs to be a few hard questions for the board and what the relationship between them and the builder is. It sounds like a Bray job that sort of worked.

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The new stand will be completed as originally intended but the other parts of the ground are scaled back compared to the original plans. It makes complete sense that there would need to be new drawings, quantity surveys, etc

There is no doubt the project has been difficult and complex. It was a boom time project that could easily have been shelved completely, especially as it became a bit of a political football.

This announcement should mean that the department etc are now on board with the scaled back project and hopefully it'll proceed without further major complications.

I don't know what the Bray thing means to be honest.

I hope it goes well for Harps buts really dragging out. What's the current plan for the main stand so? Something like Athlone?

Not far off it yeah, slightly bigger admin block at the back rather than all being under the stand.

1954 seats in it, by an interesting cosmic coincidence.

I think it's to be closer to resembling the new stand in Terryland rather than Athlone.

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Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954

I think it's to be closer to resembling the new stand in Terryland rather than Athlone.

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One of the nicest, but coldest stands in the League :) Proximity to the Corrib is the culprit there though. If FH end up with a ground similar to Terryland, it wouldn't be such a bad thing. 2900 seats (i think) in Terryland, which is more than enough for Galway. I've only ever witnessed the place full on 4 occasions. What would the total seating be with redrawn plans?

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Originally Posted by CorribsideSteve

One of the nicest, but coldest stands in the League :) Proximity to the Corrib is the culprit there though. If FH end up with a ground similar to Terryland, it wouldn't be such a bad thing. 2900 seats (i think) in Terryland, which is more than enough for Galway. I've only ever witnessed the place full on 4 occasions. What would the total seating be with redrawn plans?

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Anyones guess really. Have heard figures ranging from 4,500 to 6,000. All depends on the size of the second stand and terracing on either end. Main stand with 1,954 seats, second stand is supposed to be smaller and simpler, and terraces are supposed to be similar to that of the one in Finn Park on either end, safe capacity of that is 900 I think. Safe to assume somewhere in the region of 5,000 capacity, which would be plenty for any need we'll have.

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Originally Posted by Mr A

I don't know what the Bray thing means to be honest.

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Partly things that have been said before in this thread before and basically a developer wanting to get hold of prime land in a town centre in exchange for a newly built ground elsewhere. In this its is similar to what was hoped for by the developer at Bray, I was being (maybe unfairly) cynical with the whole developer looking to exploit things at the expense of clubs, fans et al for cheaply gained profit. The difference of course is that Donegal CC were more South Korea and ok with rezoning the land for development.

From what I gathered from Nigel in particular was that the project was fully funded. This was from both sports capital grants and from the proceeds the land swap deal. The project started and stalled due to the collapse of 'the boom'. I can understand why an issue arose but even over the cycle of change in economic circumstances Nigel said that the funding was in place but that there was an issue with the builder. It wasnt said what that issue was but i will speculate that the builder either fell on some lean times or balked at the prospect of getting a patch of land that was no longer as valuable so they stalled on the build.

Iirc in 2015(?) it was reported that €500k had been spent and another €500k grant was to be allocated imminently. The original grant in 2007/8 was €800k. Some of these grants must obviously have been drawn down to start the project with one of the stands started. If funding was fully in place as Nigel claimed surely at least one stand should have been completed by now and prior scaling back. Now either the reported funding wasnt accurate, grants were let lapse etc. But the funding allocated would fit with Nigel saying funding was in place so why the lack of progression? It is with cynicism im looking on this but from the outside looking in it looks like the builder saw the opportunity for a double win in getting their hands on land from which they could make a tidy sum and also get paid to build a new ground with the club paying them via government grants. Things took a downturn and that Finn Park was no longer 'valuable' the builder wasnt so fussed on fulfilling their committments without that piece of prime development land being worth as much. Renege long enough and a downturn will come to an end and that land value increases again. Now 10 years on and an economy recovers and complications with the builder are being ironed out.

It makes sense that if the project was scaled back and with new plans drawn up that new grants could be allocated but surely this should be another phase of the development rather than being part of completing phase one that had already turned sod. When was the decision to scale back the plans - after at least one grant of half a million was spent? if money was granted and spent on the original plan and this new grant is for doing up new plans then what was already spent for this process seems an awful waste of damn limited funding.

One club built a very large shed after getting a grant, the tender for building the shed was awarded to a builder that had a bit of a connection to the club. I am wary of the the whole developer and football clubs in general and probably have been assuming the worst of what was going on with Stranrolar. I just dont get how at least one stand in a supposedly funded project has only been built since 2005 when it was decided to move out of Finn Park. At least there was a turnkey type arrangement and not a groundshare situation waiting for a new ground to be built.

Not a huge surprise but Pat's 12,000 seater stadium idea was "never a runner" and the council have secured funding for housing on that site:

https://www.independent.ie/irish-new...-37137248.html

I wonder if this was a GAA club that had put this together...would it be treated any better ? My opinion..yes it would.

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Originally Posted by ArFella

Not a huge surprise but Pat's 12,000 seater stadium idea was "never a runner" and the council have secured funding for housing on that site:

https://www.independent.ie/irish-new...-37137248.html

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I'm disappointed, and frustrated, but not overly surprised I have to say. Never had any faith in the council going for this. Dont know where we go from here. Just hope Garrett Kelleher doesn't get frustrated and ride off into the sunset.

I am at the end of my rope with people making justifications and excuses for the Harps Stadium. I suspect the complex manner of the initial contract was a hugely stupid decision thst is in many ways responsible for where we are today. Thats fine. People make mistakes but I just cant share the enthuasism for the latest news and the likelihood of getting a hodge podge when its finished in another 4 years time will be soul crushing.

Key Rule of LOI Football

No development ever gets past stage 1

The top guy in Peake 6, majority owners of DFC made his first visit to OP last week for the Levadia game. James Rogers has a story in today’s local Argus I believe, following on from his tweet earlier in the week, that they have said plans for redevelopment are ‘in the pipeline’, no details given but they did mention the space potential on almost all sides of the ground to develop.

Be good to see any plans announced really, but you get the impression they won’t release anything until they have everything in place re planning / what they need / want to do.

At least they are talking about it I suppose.