Ron Martin: Ground would get under way within 'a matter of weeks'
Just when you thought it was safe to be optimistic about the future of Southend United FC along comes Uncle Ron to blow it out of the water, along with 87-year-old OAP's getting their free season ticket taken back, this has not been a good day for the Roots Hall spin machine.
Sadly, Ron has to be let out now and again and this time at a meeting of the Rochford District Council reported by the Echo he told those present that the 'construction of the three-sided, 13,942-seater home ground would get under way within “a matter of weeks” – if the remaining hurdles were cleared without problems.'
A 'matter of weeks' being October, though, bizarrely, the club have until the summer of 2014 to start building, which was agreed after the council gave a three-year extension to the planning permission for part of the Fossetts Farm site that was originally granted in 2008! (Mainly due to the dosh they could lose in lawyer's fees for chasing any appeals.)
One of the 'problems' Mr. Martin may be alluding to, along with shops on site still holding out we presume, is Sainsbury's failure to buy the Prospects College which has stalled for the sixth time and had college CEO Neil Bates believing the deal is now 'terminated. (Though this could be some canny negotiation on the retail giant's part, we hope so anyway.)
The site is next to Roots Hall and would the main entrance to a new store, and no Sainsbury's at Roots Hall, no more dosh for FF.
The Shrimpers supremo told the councillors: “Tenders for the work are due back by Saturday and we are very confident they will come in within budget. If that happens, we are looking at an October starting date.”
However, not all were won over by Uncle Ron's charm.
Colin Seagers (Con, Foulness and Great Wakering) said: “I simply do not see how this will benefit the people of Rochford district. There has been no explanation why or how there is any benefit to giving up such a large part of the green belt. These grandiose and over-ambitious plans have already failed once, and we don’t know they won’t again.”
Mike Steptoe, the Tory councillor for the Sutton ward that would include the stadium site said: “I’m very concerned about a number of things that seem to need addressing.”
That includes queries about drainage and the overflow car park being reduced in size due to the new three-sided stadium plan.
Southend Council have now to be won over in a meeting scheduled for July 20th as the actual stadium and retail outlets around Fossett Farm fall into their juristiction.
But, for the same reasons as Rochford, Uncle Ron will get his extention and we will just wonder when a brick will be laid in anger for the first time!
The full article from Tuesday's Echo here: www.echo-news.co.uk/news/9120321.October_start_for_work_on_Fossetts_Farm_stadium_____Ron/
Stadium stalemate: www.southendunited-mad.co.uk
Stop laughing: www.southendunited-mad.co.uk/sngl/ed21/fossetts_farm_section/index.shtml
The council say yes: www.southendunited-mad.co.uk
The original deal: www.southendunited-mad.co.uk
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'If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?
- The Mad Hatter (put a top hat on Ron above......go on, imagine it, spooky.)