Chester FC car park targeted for new bus depot

You goat blowers are obsessed with Lego.

FCC Planning Details

This is the link to the specific application and you can object.

I'm guessing for the stadium's health and safety certificate that such a requirement is mandatory.

Thinking about logistics if this were to go through (which I don't think it will)... if building work started during the season, that would pretty much use up all the parking space alone with materials, site fencing, etc.

I agree with this.

Just to play Devil's Advocate, let's look at thinking a little more objectively before we all go off writing "Angry from Chester" type emails to Flintshire Council. Will the board have known about this in advance? Probably, yes. The club are leaseholders of the site, so will need to be notified. Now, Stagecoach are clearly selling their current Liverpool Road site to make way for student accommodation and I imagine given the central location of the current depot, this will make Stagecoach some substantial money. Is it a possibility therefore that the club are the ones too have approached Stagecoach and offered the land? Stagecoach don't have tospend hundreds of thousands of pounds, possibly millions, on a new depot, instead leasing space.

Over the course of season, the car park will probably make around £20,000 in car park revenue (ballpark). I know for a fact that Solihull lease out part of their car park to Range Rover and this generates approximately £300,000 per annum into the club's coffers; an amount they wouldn't survive without. We can clearly make money from the car park, like the circus and car boot sales for example. So whilst we can't sell the land, there is clearly nothing stopping us from potential sub-letting it to generate income. For the club, this could mean a substantial amount of money in rent each year, that could be used to finance a potential community hub, or even more parking elsewhere along Bumper's Lane or it could be used to fund improvements on the ground itself.

This is only my opinion and is not based around fact or even rumour, but let's just wait for all of the actual facts first. If it does turn out the club don't benefit financially, that of course changes the whole thing.

The planning application claims this to be the case as of 1st June 2017 which, as we all know, is in-between football seasons so of course it's unused at that time! Surely all involved are aware of this and are aware of the fact the land will be heavily used for the majority of the calendar year? Someone on DC Oldco has raised an excellent point not previously raised on this thread about environmental pollution that could be caused by having a heaving depot choking and coughing out smoke in close proximity to hundreds (thousands?) of people at regular times.

As for what Alan touches on above, I sincerely hope the club isn't prioritising chasing a fast buck over utilising the space to build a sustainable future by the way of a community hub and 3G pitches etc.

It may be that at this stage this is a purely speculative application, which is tactic well used by developers without having to directly deal with landowners/leaseholders to initiate local comment. It sows the seed of what if. It would be interesting to know what others think as to what the net annual financial gain should be to make this a worthwhile venture for the club to be interested in. £50k?

I literally do not see what the fuss is about.

The club needs to make money to survive, you're living in a fantasy land if you think that having a car park is in any way financially viable.

Parking will be affected but public transport will be hugely improved, can easily be a condition of the lease.

I'm told the area cannot be used for 3G pitches and so nothing is lost there, clifton drive and the field opposite the entrance are more viable options. 

If it comes down to parking vs money coming in, only one winner.

The car park is barely used though, 6 days a week it lies empty, and that's if we have a home game, it can go weeks during the season without being used, months over the close season.

Environmental pollution from what is basically a car park for coaches?

We've been spoilt having such a big car park, many away grounds I've been to don't have one at all, wait and see what the actual proposal is and whether or not the club receives any benefits before a having a meltdown.

Turn this on it's head. If this was an application to build a football stadium, what would be the parking area required by the local planning authority? I would be surprised if it were less than that which currently exists at the Deva. This proposed loss of parking can only exacerbate the indiscriminate parking around the industrial estate and the congestion that follows.

In the long term, what would be the impact on the club's ambitions? We want to increase attendances, progress to the Football League and develop the ground to provide better facilities for supporters and new income streams for the club not throw a one-off windfall at chasing the dream in the short term. The disposal of land which could be used by the club in the future would be folly.

Ultimately, any proposed assignment of the lease, which means the disposal of an asset, should be subject of a vote by the club's owners, the CFU membership.

The Board needs to clarify it's position quickly, so that we can have an informed discussion.

where is the disposal? sub-letting remember, the only thing we lose is park of a car park, which was hardly a disaster when the circus was there.

Looking forward to seeing what the board say. The back of the Harry Mac remains the best option for extending the stadium (if ever required, long shot but if you cant dream in August...), and I seem to remember that was the idea when the plans were drawn up.

It's not speculation if they are at early stages of planning? If the land is owned by the council then surely we have no place to ask for certain criteria to be met? Or is the car park part of our lease and we wI'll be sub leasing or renting it for money?? So many questions

I'm not sure what to make of this really. I mean, I kind of don't care, but it feels a bit out of the blue and something that, as a fan-owned club, we shouldn't really be finding out about via the press.

Not great timing either. We always seem to get something happening just before the start of the season that diverts attention off the pitch. The appointment of Tony Allen was about this time of year as well.