Seats

[Keith B Wetherill]

I have for ages now wondered why we haven't got these much talked about extra seats,many people have speculated about car parking etc but seems to me nobody really knows the REAL SP
Imagine my disappoint when one week on I still have received no reply to my question to the Chairman when all I ask is for the club 'official'word on this matter..
Has anyone heard the true story ? are my suspicions right? is it club policy not to spend any more money on Withdean..
It certainly makes me think that if 'over promoted' Prescott does say yes,do we have the people or the werewithall to actually build FALMER...
After all it has been years now since we got permission for seats, subject to extra parking ! ! are we to believe we can't sort that?

 

[Lord Bracknell]

The Club found the extra parking (at Carden Avenue). The Council haven't been able to get this approved by the Environment Committee (mainly because Labour no longer has a majority on the City Council).

The Council have promised to help find an alternative parking site. They haven't managed to do this.

The search goes on. Apparently.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

The dreary saga of the extra seats goes on then. Pathetic.

 

[Curious Orange]

I have for ages now wondered why we haven't got these much talked about extra seats,many people have speculated about car parking etc but seems to me nobody really knows the REAL SP
Imagine my disappoint when one week on I still have received no reply to my question to the Chairman when all I ask is for the club 'official'word on this matter..
Has anyone heard the true story ? are my suspicions right? is it club policy not to spend any more money on Withdean..
It certainly makes me think that if 'over promoted' Prescott does say yes,do we have the people or the werewithall to actually build FALMER...
After all it has been years now since we got permission for seats, subject to extra parking ! ! are we to believe we can't sort that?

Didn't you ask this question the other week? And get exactly the same answer as given by Lord B in this thread?

 

[Mustela Furo]

[Bone week on I still have received no reply to my question to the Chairman [/B]

And how did you contact the chairman incidentally?

 

[Rangdo]

Couldn't we just put some patio chairs on the running track. No one ever need know. The Withdean Whingers don't go in the ground anyway.

 

[timseagull]

Be just like the county ground (Sussex CC and not Swindon!)

 

[Rangdo]

I've got one of those fold up chairs, so I don't mind bringing my own. They don't even have to pay for new seats then.

 

[b.w.2.]

Yes, just keep blaming the council... but don't the club have a right to apply for a P&R site wherever and whenever they want to apply for one?... I know the answer is "yes" so don't bother answering... also, why don't the club ask the council to kindly move slightly quicker than a snail on downers with no slime...

The lack of movement on this by THE CLUB is absolutely pathetic IMHO...

About time they showed some drive and determination to succeed...

As I said before, I am a project manager, and if my projects were delayed as long as this one has, I would be out of a job in no time...

For fcuk's sake... let's take some action...

PS. The fans, including me, fought hard to get Carden Av past Asda... and what did the club do?... just gave up...

 

[Yorkie]

bw2

Yes the club has the right to apply but that doesn't mean the P & R will be approved.

If you can get any council to move faster on any decision then you would end up as Prime Minister.

 

[spidey]

bw2,

Do you really think that the club are not doing all they can to get the extra seats for next season?

 

[Wardy]

Whats the point in applying for a P & R when you know it will be turned down. a) it cost money, something we have not got a lot of in case you hadn't relaised. b) when we do get a decent site with the infrostructer in place, we will find it harder to get planning permison due to previous rejection.

I work in local goverment and can tell you that the only people on earth who can get a local goverment to move faster is central goverment. They have their own ways and the councilers move at what pace suits them.

 

[Dave the OAP]

Keith B Wetherill was originally something to do with the club in the pre archer days.
he is a shit stirrer in the extreme.

I would not be very surprised if he, Bens Grandad and FG are one and the same.

There are people working behind the scenes to do anything they can to scupper this club by attacking at any opportunity the Board and Dick Knight especially, and the sooner these people came out and gave us their proper agenda the better.

 

[b.w.2.]

Dear Spidey,

No, I do NOT think the club are doing all they can to get the new seats in... I won't say why I think this, because I don't want to undermine the club (and I am not claiming insider knowledge here, just my POV)...

Anyway, the club claim they have a very good working relationship with the council... if so, then they should be using it right now (actually, months ago!!) to get the favoured P&R site list...

I have worked with the council on a grand total of 3 (private, admittedly small) planning applications, and I have to say I agree that they are very difficult to get moving, but how long does it take to come up with the best P&R site list?... I would have thought they know the area rather well!!... it's their job after all!!...

Everything takes too fcuking long at this club... and I stand 100% behind my earlier comments...

 

[spidey]

b.w.2,

I can't claim any knowledge of these issues whatsoever, just can't imagine that the club don't want the substantial additional income that 2,000 extra seats would bring in div.1 & aren't doing everything they can.

Don't believe your pov would undermine the club - you may have a point. This is a forum for discussion after all.

 

[Rangdo]

It would help if the club would make some kind of statement instead of keeping all the fans in the dark as per usual. I think we deserve to be kept up to date. We're the ones that keep the club running after all.

 

[b.w.2.]

OK... I have 2 thoughts...

1. The club were is financial trouble last season... evidence = FBS having to pump extra cash in... it will take a large investmnet to yield the incremental revenue we all want to see coming in from the seats... can we afford that initial capital investment?...
2. The club were not selling out at one stage last season... this doesn't help the case for Falmer, and the club don't want to see a Withdean capacity of 9,000 with huge gaps in the stands...

These MAY be the reasons the board weren't / aren't exactly going hell for leather on the new seats...

My suggestion to them is that, now we are in The Championship, we will sell 9,000 seats at EVERY game... also, the Falmer decision is imminent and can't be undermined at this stage by empty seats, should they arise, so...

As I said b4, I would like to see the club really drive this Withdean capacity enhancement through...

And, the point about lack of communication by the club is valid... they can be pretty bad at keeping the fans informed on key issues like this one... no communication suggests no progress to me at least...

Oh, and even if 2 Jags said yes tomorrow, we would still be at best 2, probably 3 years away from the big KO at Falmer, so I would say that the investment can be cost justified (payback soon enough)... who knows, we might even retain some of the butterflies who turned up at Cardiff!!...

 

[Lord Bracknell]

The Club IS working well with the City Council's officers and with the Labour leadership.

The problem is that approval for the Park & Ride has to be given by the Environment Committee.

Since the last elections (in 2003), there is no longer a Labour majority on the Council (or on any of the Committees). This makes it difficult for promises to be delivered, even if they have been made by officers or the Labour leadership.

It's what happens when people decide to vote in local elections to "teach Blair a lesson", rather than elect a local council that will do things that local people want.

 

[oapdodge]

Will we get the extra seats before Falmer ?

 

[b.w.2.]

Dear LB,

People are free to vote for whichever party they chose... if the people don't think Labour are doing a good job, locally or nationally, they will vote them out...

Now... if the club need to influence some committee that is not dominated by Labour to get this done, then that is exactly what they should seek to do...

My point is that we should be pushing for these seats... sorry, but see zero progress and the CLUB need to own the problem... please correct me if I'm wrong...