General Summary of The New Stadium Thread

[OX14]

Challenged by others at the meeting who do have more knowledge.

3:49pm

Raises point made earlier about the owners - says must look at Thohir etc's past at DC United and Inter Milan.

3:48pm

New speaker now, who seems to be a Kidlington resident and a Utd season-ticket holder: "United have only got one shot at this, they must get it right


This one did. I think it was Councillor Nigel Simpson who is Kirtlington and North Kidlington Con. Rest of them who spoke said not enough time to look over and ask feedback of community. Just one bell peice John Hill made it sound like everyone was.against it.

 

[DevilsAvocado]

Challenged by others at the meeting who do have more knowledge.

It was to a certain extent by Cllr Nigel Simpson(?), i think he mentioned Inter and DC United and that
despite agreeing with the need for more time to consult with the public work with the club would
continue in the meantime.

 

[Golden Dr Otto]

I think that is stretching things a bit too far, looking at this afternoons meeting in a calmer mood, it becomes clear that the decision was never going to happen today. The leaked letter put that to bed. The original agenda had all the details exempted from the public eye. All that was to be seen was an application titled "Outline proposal to lease Council Land". - This was first noted on 15/12/2021* long before it came into the public eye. Had it remained so I fully expect that the decision would have been passed and we would now be moving towards planning.

As it transpired, the councillors were put on the spot, ignore the electorate or take a pause, agree a consultation period and reset. They went with the politically safe route. No big deal, nothing was going to happen without a public consultation but, it would have been easier with the lease details sorted first.

I came to this conclusion taking into account the absence of any petitioner from the club or any representative of the majority shareholders and the ease at which a solution was presented to the Cabinet (and passed without discussion)

I don't know any of this 100% but, I'm guessing that I'm not that far off the truth. The support is there amongst the council but they cannot be seen to "rubber stamp" a decision like this, no matter how much sense it makes - not me saying that, Cabinet member for finance and Corporate director - Commercial development, assets and investment for the County Council Steve Jorden made the recommendation to accept to the Cabinet.
*See here for detail:
Reference to Council agenda

​

I think if that were the case the tone of statements and questions would have been very different including the balance of those presenting . I used to work in local politics as a research and media officer
So I have plenty experience of meeting tone and management and that did not go well. An opening pitch and tone has been set.

Let me course correct my question . Do we have a local government public relations team to manage this process on our behalf given it’s potentially fractious nature for local residents who choose not to see the benefits?

 

[Fanatica]

I think if that were the case the tone of statements and questions would have been very different including the balance of those presenting . I used to work in local politics as a research and media officer
So I have plenty experience of meeting tone and management and that did not go well. An opening pitch and tone has been set.

Let me course correct my question . Do we have a local government public relations team to manage this process on our behalf given it’s potentially fractious nature for local residents who choose not to see the benefits?

There is a company in place for this, yes. I found them yesterday, a good record too.

 

[chuckbert]

Even if they reject can't we appeal and it be decided by the planning inspectorate? Can't see how just because a few old farts don't want it and voice their opinion it gets declined? Or is that the reason why it's being deferred?

Do think the club knew about the deferral before the meeting as that statement wasn't wrote in 20 minutes to me and thats probably why the pro councilors didn't bother speaking as it was a waste of a breath.

There might be truth in your last bit. My experience of tricky negotiations is that the wise people keep their powder dry. They let everyone discuss all of the points against them at length until the emotional pitch and energy of the conversation starts to drop and then they slowly start to turn the screw with their strong points.
I’m hoping that this is step was the smoke bomb: flush everyone out who is going to be up in arms and shouting their objections, then collect their points and address them solidly one by one.
From the online discussion I’ve seen, the biggest criticism is of occ trying to “get this through the back door” or some similar conspiracy tosh, mainly with aggressive and angry calls for more information and consultation.
That information is easy to provide, and unless there are (politically) fatal flaws in what is proposed, the consultation can proceed - as would have to happen anyway (no idea how these folks think things work). Many of the criticisms (eg Mr Hill’s false tirade) will be simply put to rest.

 

[Scotchegg]

Do think the club knew about the deferral before the meeting as that statement wasn't wrote in 20 minutes to me and thats probably why the pro councilors didn't bother speaking as it was a waste of a breath.

Nail on head. You don't spend years, and considerable expense working towards a £150m project and simply forget to rock up at the first meeting. As @chuckbert says, there will be an element of keeping your powder dry for when things really matter. As for Mr Hill, he was completely misinformed but fairly harmless in the greater scheme of things. He represents a group that opposes all developments and yet he didn't have a single compelling argument against this project. If that's the biggest opposition we face then we'll fly through this in no time.

We've had years of uncertainty and that will build up the frustrations in those hoping for a quick resolution now that the proposals are there for all to see. But patience and calmness are needed from all quarters now. Imagine this is a 4 year transfer window with @bazzer9461 screaming "have we built anything yet" every 15 minutes!!! Patience is an even greater virtue here.

 

[Orkney Islands Yellow]

I emailed my local councillor pointing out Mr Hill's inaccuracies and complained that his statement was allowed to be read out without being fact checked. I also asked for his statement to be disregarded and struck from the record. I received this response:

 

[Jolteon]

In a way Mr Hill may have actually strengthened our case, certainly if he or anyone else continues to use the same arguments further down the road. If the best the opposition can come up with is a list of untruths and misinformed information that can be easily proven incorrect then it'll only further weaken the opposition and strengthen our case.

Best thing for us all to do now is to be vocal all through the consultation period. Keep it polite, but passionate, and make it as clear as possible how important this is not just to OUFC and the fans, but how positive it will be for Oxfordshire and Kiddlington too. And sign that damn petition!

 

[Malc]

Stadium Consultation Reaction​

Reaction after today's County Council Cabinet meeting

22 Hours ago

Oxford United Football Club thank Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet for their consideration of our proposal regarding a potential new stadium at Stratfield Brake.
We trust and were reassured that the County Council understands the vital need to safeguard our club’s future within Oxfordshire.
We also appreciate the concerns raised by councillors, and reaffirm our commitment to ensuring our proposals genuinely serve the wider community and is an asset that the whole county can be proud of.

We were already committed to undertaking our own wide-reaching programme of community engagement and fully respect the council’s decision to bring this process forward.
We look forward to supporting and working with the County Council to undertake their four week engagement programme prior to a final decision being made.

 

[theWizard]

As a Kidlington resident, I can confirm that the number one Kidlington NIMBY Fear is "Parking".

The NIMBYs of Kidlington will tell you that they already have problems with people from outside of the village parking along the main road to either use either the High Street or to Catch a Bus into Town (even though there's two Park and Rides minutes away).

As a point of interest, the Kidlington NIMBY will also try to bend your ear over the rush-hour traffic running through the village. So let's hope Oxford United do not plan any 9am Kick Offs as this would really send them into a state of emergency!

More generally, I would like to point out that the Kidlington NIMBY is also a cunning creature. One such cunning NIMBY, actively sought to stop a development of mine along the Banbury Road because he was already worried about people parking on the main road when they would visit Brookwoood Accountancy. This Cunning NIMBY (Nice Guy actually, he bought me a beer) openly told me that he and the wife were in the livingroom of the CDC planner every night begging him to deign planning permission.

I'm not sure why the wife was there but I think the Cunning NIMBY offered her services to the CDC Planner as a sweetener?
(Behind every cunning NIMBY man is a slightly more cunning NIMBY woman with various degrees of flexibility)

One more Kidlington NIMBY-ism of note is that of confusion and ill logic... The Average Kidlington NIMBY will tell you that village doesn't have half the shops it used to and that the Parade hasn't been the same since Mrs O'Malley ran the fruit and veg shop. They will also tell you get wonders of Kidlington long forgotten past such as the fabled Kidlington cinema, the circus, the parties of Richard Branson and indeed the Kidlington elephant.

BUT DO THEY WANT SOMETHING NEW? Do they fck. They're still struggling with the *New Sainsbury's.


The Possible Solution to the Kidlington NIMBY Menace:

Deliver them permit holding parking separately and before the Stadium application.

It would catch them off guard and send back into there borrows to think about the elephant now long since gone.

 

[Ewes]

Whilst being excited about the new stadium aspirations and intentions like any other supporter or exiled fan, I haven’t had a chance to go through the finer details.

From the bare minimum I’ve read so far, it looks like we’ll leave one landlord-owned stadium and all his retail units behind, to move to another stadium surrounded by retail units and owned by a company other than the core club (a stadco possibly fronted by investors).

Have I got this right please?

Apart from the aesthetics (not playing next to a sewage works, gaining a fourth stand, not paying high rent and possibly gaining income from bars etc), what will be different about the club’s standing at the new ground?

Thanks

 

[Colin B]

Whilst being excited about the new stadium aspirations and intentions like any other supporter or exiled fan, I haven’t had a chance to go through the finer details.

From the bare minimum I’ve read so far, it looks like we’ll leave one landlord-owned stadium and all his retail units behind, to move to another stadium surrounded by retail units and owned by a company other than the core club (a stadco possibly fronted by investors).

Have I got this right please?

Apart from the aesthetics (not playing next to a sewage works, gaining a fourth stand, not paying high rent and possibly gaining income from bars etc), what will be different about the club’s standing at the new ground?

Thanks

No, you absolutely have not got this right.

In no particular order:

1 - The club will have security of tenure for 250 years.

2 - This will be at a peppercorn rent, rather than the £1.25m per annum the club currently pays Kassam to play at a 3 sided unfinished 1990s stadium.

3 - The club will benefit from various income streams generated by the stadium. These are the sort of incomes that are impossible to achieve at the current stadium, and have only benefitted Kassam anyway.

4 - There will be a stadium ownership structure that protects the club from ever being evicted or separated from the stadium.

5 - The capacity and comfort of the stadium will encourage, rather than discourage, fans from attending in larger numbers than is currently possible.

6 - It will give us a HOME TO BE PROUD OF.

7 - It will be the catalyst for the other developments on the site which will give Oxfordshire the facilities that our world famous destination does not currently have.

8 - We will be providing the local community with facilities it currently has no chance of attaining.

There's probably a lot more that I've overlooked, but for Christ's sake man, what more do you want??? I'd suggest you read more than the "bare minimum" that you've currently read.

 

[Orkney Islands Yellow]

I mentioned on Tuesday I emailed my local councillor. Out of the blue tonight i received two very supportive emails from a different councillor! I won't go into detail as loose lips sink ships!

They encouraged all of us to take part in the consultation next week as much vocal support will be needed on there to outnumber those who oppose this. This appears to be crucial. It also seems the consultation will be the first of many calls to arms throughout this process.

Out of interest, does anyone know the party split of the cabinet and how many votes are needed for it to progress to the next stage?

 

[Wanderer]

Hi all, Wycombe fan here! I put aside my bias to write this article about Oxford's new stadium in the student newspaper Cherwell

New Stadium for Oxford United F.C. - Cherwell

"Oxford United’s plan to leave the Kassam Stadium in favour of a new site at Straftfield Brake is well-founded, and could provide major benefits for the club’s fans and owners, the county and city councils, and perhaps the university too."

cherwell.org

It would be great if you could let me know your thoughts! I hope it chimes with the general attitude of the fanbase who seem to be very supportive of the proposal. Really hoping you guys get the move sorted and I can't wait to visit the new stadium in a few years

 

[Wanderer]

Hi all, Wycombe fan here! I put aside my bias to write this article about Oxford's new stadium in the student newspaper Cherwell

New Stadium for Oxford United F.C. - Cherwell

"Oxford United’s plan to leave the Kassam Stadium in favour of a new site at Straftfield Brake is well-founded, and could provide major benefits for the club’s fans and owners, the county and city councils, and perhaps the university too."

cherwell.org

It would be great if you could let me know your thoughts! I hope it chimes with the general attitude of the fanbase who seem to be very supportive of the proposal. Really hoping you guys get the move sorted and I can't wait to visit the new stadium in a few years

 

[Orkney Islands Yellow]

Thank you so much for the feedback - it is highly appreciated!

I knew that Maxwell wasn't chairman at the time of his death cos of the Derby link, but he still owned the team right? And I realise that plans for the stadium in Blackbird Leys were in the works long before Kassam took over, but he did push them through in the end! I should definitely have clarified that

Your point about OCC is interesting! As you say, they seem to be making the right noises, which is great. The new facilities for Kidlington ABs and Gosford CC are definitely a necessity though. They both seem to be pretty optimistic

I believe Minnesota United's stadium took 20 months to build hence the speculation (and @Colin B 's hint it'll have a LED exterior!) the design at Stratfield Brake will be inspired by that as well as a vague similarity on the masterplan.

Hopefully it'll have a low roof for a) acoustic reasons and b) to stop it being too visible from a distance, the local residents will likely say it'll spoil their view or be an eyesore.

 

[Colin B]

I believe Minnesota United's stadium took 20 months to build hence the speculation (and @Colin B 's hint it'll have a LED exterior!) the design at Stratfield Brake will be inspired by that as well as a vague similarity on the masterplan.

Hopefully it'll have a low roof for a) acoustic reasons and b) to stop it being too visible from a distance, the local residents will likely say it'll spoil their view or be an eyesore.
View attachment 7938

Just for clarity, and to stop everyone getting ahead of themselves, yes I did make reference to LED lighting in an earlier post. I did not say our stadium will be modelled on Allianz Field though. It may be, or it may not be, those decisions have not been finalised at this stage.

A number of design requirements have been identified, such as capacity, facilities within (and without), possible architectural appearance, sustainability requirements etc etc. A number of architects and consultants have been spoken to over the last three years or so, and some design and masterplanning work has been done.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves and start discussing the minutiae of design of a stadium that ours may, or may not, be based upon. There's still a lot of decisions to be made, and many will only be made after consultation with planners and those affected by the development.

If you ask me for my honest opinion, I think/hope we'll end up with something better than Allianz Field.

 

[Manorlounger]

Update on the consultation:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1485916260642787331

 

[Orkney Islands Yellow]

The Oxford Mail are gauging public opinion via a poll here: https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/sport/...iteds-proposed-stratfield-brake-stadium-move/

Could be quoted by councillors and the opposition so best not take any chances, you know what to do.

 

[OxfordYankee]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1500886571012263947