Work On The New Training Ground Has Started Today 11th July 2022

[sufcfed]

A permanent site with temporary facilities was the initial idea. The facilities were going to be temporary and thus cheaper for now, with more expensive permanent facilities to replace them in the future once money had come in via the rest of the development. The planning application for the temporary facilities has been withdrawn by SUFC without comment or explanation, so it seems at the moment that it will be 4 pitches without ancillary facilities.

I don't understand, are you saying it is JUST 4 pitches and nothing else? no buildings for the training ground, no facilities to treat the players etc? just literally 4 pitches?!

 

[Smiffy]

I don't understand, are you saying it is JUST 4 pitches and nothing else? no buildings for the training ground, no facilities to treat the players etc? just literally 4 pitches?!

We can only go on the info we’ve been furnished with from official sources so far.

Going on yesterday’s announcement that is for grass pitches (some of which will be hybrid surfaces) and a players car park to the north of Fossetts Way. All of which should be ready at some point in October this year. No mention of any other facilities, as yet. But I’d imagine there will be a further update with a bit more meat on soon.

 

[londonblue]

I don't understand, are you saying it is JUST 4 pitches and nothing else? no buildings for the training ground, no facilities to treat the players etc? just literally 4 pitches?!

That's not what he said. He said the pitches plus a temporary building. The full complex will be built at a later date.

 

[kentblues]

A permanent site with temporary facilities was the initial idea. The facilities were going to be temporary and thus cheaper for now, with more expensive permanent facilities to replace them in the future once money had come in via the rest of the development. The planning application for the temporary facilities has been withdrawn by SUFC without comment or explanation, so it seems at the moment that it will be 4 pitches without ancillary facilities.

That is an assumption being made. There is no statement to this effect. Hopefully clarity very soon.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

That's not what he said. He said the pitches plus a temporary building. The full complex will be built at a later date.

Agreed - or it is likely that the buildings will be built by a building contractor, with that contract to follow, rather than a specialist pitch and groundworks contractor - which is what White Horse are. Not necessarily later, just not announced at the same time as the White Horse contract was signed.

I do think people need to calm down and not be quite so neurotic that because yesterdays announcement doesn’t cover every minutiae of everything it means there’s a problem. It doesn’t. There will be a catering contract etc awarded at some point - if that doesn’t include the stadium build people should step back from the ledge and wait for that other contract to be announced.

 

[kentblues]

I guess one question is how long would the building as per the current plans take to build? And can the build be phased? Dependent on the answer to this it might explain why temporary facilities becomes an avoidable cost...

 

[C'mon you Shrimpers]

The latest building phase schedule puts the permanent training building and the academy dome as the last piece of the FF jigsaw. Once completed in 2026 the job will be done.

 

[Ghost of C.F.]

It's not a temporary training ground. The temp bit is the actual training building. My understanding is that they're building a temp complex because it will be quicker, meaning that they can tear down B&L earlier and thus start on the new stadium.

I tend to think your analysis is the right one . It seems to me that speed of action is playing a key role here . A permanent building will take quite a time to bring to fruition . It will also be very expensive - Populous don't design cheap buildings . But we have to admit that there is the risk that sufc4life21 mentions regarding the danger that the temporary facility becomes the permanent facility because we cannot be sure that the extra cash from the housing development will ever materialise..

 

[Microbe]

Or it could.......
And everything will be fine

 

[RHB]

I tend to think your analysis is the right one . It seems to me that speed of action is playing a key role here . A permanent building will take quite a time to bring to fruition . It will also be very expensive - Populous don't design cheap buildings . But we have to admit that there is the risk that sufc4life21 mentions regarding the danger that the temporary facility becomes the permanent facility because we cannot be sure that the extra cash from the housing development will ever materialise..

It seems to me that it is very much easier to believe that stuff will not happen, even in the fact of early evidence that it will.

Lets just wait and see, as, in all the years I have been following SUFC (56 yrs), things have a habit of eventually turning out ok. So I'm optimistic that cash will flow and buildings will rise from their foundations.

 

[Ghost of C.F.]

Or it could.......
And everything will be fine

I will put you down as a glass half full kind of a person.

 

[Microbe]

I'm more of a glass nearly full kind of guy

 

[Ghost of C.F.]

It seems to me that it is very much easier to believe that stuff will not happen, even in the fact of early evidence that it will.

Lets just wait and see, as, in all the years I have been following SUFC (56 yrs), things have a habit of eventually turning out ok. So I'm optimistic that cash will flow and buildings will rise from their foundations.

Lets just hope the 4th side of the stadium will rise from its foundations but if it does it is likely to use up all the housing funds and I guess from what I read on here that most fans will rank that above the need for spending on the training facilities . In fact you have to be a glass overflowing sort of a guy to think all this plus infrastructure costs can be met .

 

[C'mon you Shrimpers]

Look we have the implementation schedule. The time to get anxious is if and when the targets are not met or there is delay. This agonising about nothing is getting a little tedious.

 

[RHB]

Lets just hope the 4th side of the stadium will rise from its foundations but if it does it is likely to use up all the housing funds and I guess from what I read on here that most fans will rank that above the need for spending on the training facilities . In fact you have to be a glass overflowing sort of a guy to think all this plus infrastructure costs can be met .

Well thanks for that. Optimism has always been my mantra and my mum told me there are no such things as ghosts, so I'm good for a 'let's be patient a while longer' sort of way.

 

[Justleavingwork]

I do think some will still be complaining that fossets farm will not be built when we are sitting in it watching the first game. It’s the most promising news we have had in a long time so for the moment let’s be positive about it?

 

[Tinks]

Just seen this on the Southend Council Planning

 

[Tinks]

 

[teabee1]

View attachment 20925

Now I understand what is going on..

 

[kentblues]

Lets just hope the 4th side of the stadium will rise from its foundations but if it does it is likely to use up all the housing funds and I guess from what I read on here that most fans will rank that above the need for spending on the training facilities . In fact you have to be a glass overflowing sort of a guy to think all this plus infrastructure costs can be met .

Or an empty glass that has been smashed to a thousand pieces sort of guy to assume it won’t :-)