Anyone For Chinese?

[Jagermesiter1871]

Brentford managed to build their new stadium, in central London, for £70 mil

You have a strange definition of "central" London - it doesn't even have a London postcode.

Ok - just outside central London. Point still stands; one of the dearer places to build anything in the country.

[From Despair To Where?]

I'm not sure there's a site big enough to build a new stadium in the town centre. It's not just the footprint of the stadium that you have to consider so it's a complete non starter IMO.

[windermereROYAL]

The old royal mail site down Caversham road has been unoccupied for 15 years or so, could build a decent size stadium there.

[NathStPaul]

The old royal mail site down Caversham road has been unoccupied for 15 years or so, could build a decent size stadium there.

Oh yeah would be a great spot. I am sure traffic flow wouldn't be an issue.

[WestYorksRoyal]

Would there have been scope to redevelop Elm Park instead of building the Madejski? Presumably a more expensive project and more limitations in a residential area.

[Hendo]

The old royal mail site down Caversham road has been unoccupied for 15 years or so, could build a decent size stadium there.

Oh yeah would be a great spot. I am sure traffic flow wouldn't be an issue.

Surely he isn't serious.

Just had a quick measure:

Footprint of Royal Mail site - 11,837m2
Footprint of SCL - 101,695m2
Footprint of Elm Park - 50,306m2

So yeah, just need 10 times the size of the RM site to fit a football ground and everything else required...

[NathStPaul]

Would there have been scope to redevelop Elm Park instead of building the Madejski? Presumably a more expensive project and more limitations in a residential area.

No hence why they moved.

[Sutekh]

Would there have been scope to redevelop Elm Park instead of building the Madejski? Presumably a more expensive project and more limitations in a residential area.

Yes, this is what should have happened, moving our club out of Reading has lost its soul.

Could not have developed Elm Park all that much unless the club managed to buy up much of the housing in Norfolk Road and up to the Tilehurst Road. Not really feasible to turn it into an all seater at all due to the incline of the stands and the main stand would certainly have had to have been demolished and replaced to bring facilities at least into the latter half of the 20th century. So sad it had to go (and pretty disgraceful there's nothing really there to properly mark the site e.g. an estate design that allowed for open ground and a plaque on the centre spot or something). Would love to have seen Elm Park sticking it to the "elites" in the top division but were cheated out of that by the PL, Bolton and colossol bad luck.

[NathStPaul]

Sutekh once again interacting with a known racist. And you all wonder why he's still here?

[SCIAG]

I'm not sure there's a site big enough to build a new stadium in the town centre. It's not just the footprint of the stadium that you have to consider so it's a complete non starter IMO.

Quite.

Think the only possibility is demolishing the Broad Street Mall and entirely reworking that end of Broad Street. Hugely expensive project.

King's Meadow might be big enough but is a flood plain.

Feels like Forbury Retail Park might be on the verge of going out of business but don't think there's enough land there anyway.

[Snowflake Royal]

The old royal mail site down Caversham road has been unoccupied for 15 years or so, could build a decent size stadium there.

Oh yeah would be a great spot. I am sure traffic flow wouldn't be an issue.

Surely he isn't serious.

Just had a quick measure:

Footprint of Royal Mail site - 11,837m2
Footprint of SCL - 101,695m2
Footprint of Elm Park - 50,306m2

So yeah, just need 10 times the size of the RM site to fit a football ground and everything else required...

that tells you all you need to know about whether its worth reading his posts.

[rabidbee]

Guys, a ground in the town centre wasn't even feasible in the 1890s, why would anyone think it could be done now?

[Hound]

I'm not sure there's a site big enough to build a new stadium in the town centre. It's not just the footprint of the stadium that you have to consider so it's a complete non starter IMO.

Quite.

Think the only possibility is demolishing the Broad Street Mall and entirely reworking that end of Broad Street. Hugely expensive project.

King's Meadow might be big enough but is a flood plain.

Feels like Forbury Retail Park might be on the verge of going out of business but don't think there's enough land there anyway.

Hopefully they can build a few more flats on Forbury, not enough round there atm

[SouthDownsRoyal]

Personally would rather keep the training ground and get a new stadium in the town centre. Hexagon site is ideal.

So you'd rather keep the site we can't afford and simultaneously spend £100m or something crazy on a new stadium causing abysmal traffic chaos every game?

No thanks.

In what sense can't we afford the training ground? If we had a decent setup the training ground/academy would have paid for itself in the players its produced and the fees we should have received from say Olise and Abbey alone. The tg is also a huge draw and the reason for most of the decent signings we've made since not being able to offer proper wages.

The current stadium is in dire state of repair; leaking roofs, rust, brick work crumbling, drab concrete interior, etc; thus is going to require a good level of investment. Brentford managed to build their new stadium, in central London, for £70 mil, so think £50mil should be an achievable target in Reading. Work in selling the current land, sell the council on the increase in town foot fall/revenue to a dying high street and it being greener as far less fans will drive and you should be able to get some sort of grant as well. The traffic is already fairly shit at the current site and as said, i think people will be far less likely to drive to a town centre stadium.

Did they?

[SouthDownsRoyal]

The old royal mail site down Caversham road has been unoccupied for 15 years or so, could build a decent size stadium there.

Oh yeah would be a great spot. I am sure traffic flow wouldn't be an issue.

Surely he isn't serious.

Just had a quick measure:

Footprint of Royal Mail site - 11,837m2
Footprint of SCL - 101,695m2
Footprint of Elm Park - 50,306m2

So yeah, just need 10 times the size of the RM site to fit a football ground and everything else required...

lol great idea for a site 1/10 of the size of the SCL

[windermereROYAL]

Oh yeah would be a great spot. I am sure traffic flow wouldn't be an issue.

Surely he isn't serious.

Just had a quick measure:

Footprint of Royal Mail site - 11,837m2
Footprint of SCL - 101,695m2
Footprint of Elm Park - 50,306m2

So yeah, just need 10 times the size of the RM site to fit a football ground and everything else required...

that tells you all you need to know about whether its worth reading his posts.

Nobody is forcing you, there is a block option. i worked there for RM and the site including the car park is huge.

[Crusader Royal]

Oh yeah would be a great spot. I am sure traffic flow wouldn't be an issue.

Surely he isn't serious.

Just had a quick measure:

Footprint of Royal Mail site - 11,837m2
Footprint of SCL - 101,695m2
Footprint of Elm Park - 50,306m2

So yeah, just need 10 times the size of the RM site to fit a football ground and everything else required...

lol great idea for a site 1/10 of the size of the SCL

And also is part of a big new development already…..

How about building a new ground on Forbury Gardens ? Might even be able to extend it as far as the prison ….

[SouthDownsRoyal]

How about staying at the SCL?

[NathStPaul]

Surely he isn't serious.

Just had a quick measure:

Footprint of Royal Mail site - 11,837m2
Footprint of SCL - 101,695m2
Footprint of Elm Park - 50,306m2

So yeah, just need 10 times the size of the RM site to fit a football ground and everything else required...

that tells you all you need to know about whether its worth reading his posts.

Nobody is forcing you, there is a block option. i worked there for RM and the site including the car park is huge.

You've been given the dimensions and you're still arguing about it. Just admit you're wrong.

[rabidbee]

I've just used a historic mapping tool to measure Elm Park, and I make it just over 16,000 m2.