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David, it's MAY 1st today, not April 1st.

traffic congestion will be a huge problem.

I think a number of scoffers will need to apologise to Ashbash Sumo.

It's gospel mate!

IF this is true and IF planning permission is granted, then the Cobblers' fans are going to go apesh1t. They've long felt that Saints get preferential treatment and this will do nothing to placate them.

The countdown clock has already started!!
First comments will be sent by text to the Chron at 8am today!!

Now the car parks and Edgar Mobbs way make sense - I always felt there was much more afoot than a bit of matchday parking once a fortnight.

I leave it upto the people who live in the area to comment on the need (Sainsburys is not too far away) but the proposal seems better than the Sixfields one for hotels etc etc etc

Yes and the car parks are different from the training pitches....



“Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.”

Benjamin Franklin

Tetleys Block F E143

Quote:

SumoSaint
IF this is true and IF planning permission is granted, then the Cobblers' fans are going to go apesh1t. They've long felt that Saints get preferential treatment and this will do nothing to placate them.

Therein lies the problem, I can see the likes of Tony Clarke doing everything he can to put a Cobblers spin on this when its before the council.
Personally I wouldn't hold my breath on this one.

Does seem a bit of a win-win, The main thing is the jobs, no one can really complain about that at the moment.
As far as congestion goes, it is for about 1 hour when there is a home match, not really too bad and any way, it might prompt them to do something about the exit at Sixfields to improve it!
The main thing is the showcase stadium in Northampton which will be bound to pull in other games then and so more money to the area.
Might mean a sponsorship deal with asda in the offing too?

/*
Its all about interpretation, I'm right everyone else is interpreting it incorrectly!
*/

Sorry ashbash.

Actually, I hope ASDA get their planning permission.

Yes but if I remember the council built sixfields.....



“Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.”

Benjamin Franklin

Tetleys Block F E143

When I lived in sunny Hull, there was a supermarket (Grandways) below one of the stands at the old Boothferry Park, they just used to shut up shop for the duration when there was a game on. Whether that is feasible nowadays, closing at say 1:00pm on a Saturday when Saints are at home.

Excellent plan and I don't think traffic is an issue at all. Last time I remember going to a supermarket, it was not at a fixed time that everyone else aimed for as well. It was kind of when I needed to buy something.

Tiggers plans are very much a business partnership too - this is the only way we can continue to keep up with them.

The talk is of a "food store", which is needed as the people living in the Upton development currently have to go into St James to get anything more than a pint of milk. I doubt it'll affect the matchday traffic too much, let's face it you'd be crazy to go to Asda when there's 17,000 rugby fans aout to descend on the area...

Hope it goes through, finishing off the stadium will be needed when we have to defend the Heineken Cup in 2010/11

WestMidsSaint poetry book on sale now

Photo Gallery...Smurf's Swindle rules

Apologies for doubting, Ashbash...

Chris, Crystal Palace has a Sainsbury's by the side of the stadium at Selhurst Park. The parking situation is just as you describe. There is a certain synergy, as they say in top management.

Part of the planning process is to consult with the council but I think I'm right in saying that all large applications like this one are dealt with by West Northants Development Corp'n which is charged with regeneration in the town and west of the county. 400 jobs is "good news"in terms of regeneration.

There is also a planning application in for the land immediately adjoining car park D towards the St James Ind Est for a 7 acre transport depot for Wrefords.

Interesting proposal. Good business sense on the Saints behalf. I think parking will be the main issue, especially with the complaints we've had lately. I wonder if this would tie in with the poll the club had a few months ago about how people travel to the ground? I've never parked in the new car park system, how much additional space do they have there? I guess we'd need to be able to demonstrate we can support the loss of Car Park D as well as 3.5k more fans somehow.

This could well be good news for Sixfields as well, because it will open up the south side of the Weedon road area (Edgar Mobbs way) to new development which is what the Sixfields plan needs.

Quote:

Chris said
...closing at say 1:00pm on a Saturday when Saints are at home.

This is Asda remember, part of the mighty American Wal-mart Corp'n where even taking two weeks annual holiday is a sin!

I expect that the far training pitch will become a car park. Got to have somewhere to put all those nearly new brick paviours!

"The shock announcement of plans to expand Franklin's Gardens by building an Asda store next to the stadium has been met with surprise by officials at Northampton Town..."

Chron

ASDA and Ikea manage to co-exist with MK Dons - mind you it's an area I would avoid ta just about anytime not only on a Saturday!!!

Not that I'm trying to drive you away from your usual habitat, of course, but it would be useful to have some reaction from the fans of the rugby club on the Chron's website.

Their next step will probably be to print the reaction they get, and if it is all Cobblers fans mouthing off then we are getting off onto a wrong foot.

As Marlowe highlighted, the development of the Gardens, which we believe you want as much as the club, cannot happen unless ASDA get permission. The challenge is to persuade everyone else in the town why it is worth doing.

Thanks in advance.

Are we likely to see the club move from training at the gardens if this goes ahead? That is implied in the Chronic story and would be something of a loss for the club as I think having everything centered around FG is a very good idea.



“Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.”

Benjamin Franklin

Tetleys Block F E143

The Chron's article (with an increasing amount of comments) here...

The full details of the plans will be announced in the coming weeks. Suffice to say that Pitch 1 (the main training pitch) will be unaffected by this.

No pressure on the local planning authority then? Where have I heard this before??

Looks like your wish is coming true, Barfly

Honest but supportive comment posted.

People seem to forget that there are two large car parks on the other side of Edgar Mobbs Way, and I have never seen them used.

wAIT FOR IT....I TOLD YOU SO AND BY THE WAY IT DOES INCLUDE 1 OF THE TRAINING PITCHES.

I GOT LOTS OF NEGATIVE REPLYS TO MY POSTING BUT I NEVER PUT THINGS UP THERE (ACTUALLY ITS THE 1ST ONE) THAT I DO NOT BELIEVE TO BE TRUE, IM NOT A GLORY HUNTER...

SO AS FOR, AND I QUOTE...IS IT APRIL THE 1ST AND WORSTING POSTING ON HERE FOR MONTHS AND NOT AT ALL POSSIBLE AND WILL DYLAN BE TRAINING IN THE AISLES ETC....SHAME ON YOU!!!!

RANT OVER, COME ON YOU SAINTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As John says, who owns the car parks on the other side of Edgar Mobbs Way, and can Saints make use of them? How will parking for FG be maintained? Perhaps the supermarket car park could double-up as Saints parking as part of the deal.

From the aerial view it is easy to see how training pitch one can be retained. As the academy is already based at Moulton College, it doesn't seem too much of a disruption. The first XV will presumably still train at FG.

The other thing is the old question over the bingo Hall. If a stand the size of the south stand is planned, then surely the bingo hall has to go, otherwise there is only room for half a stand on the north west side, presuming some building on the bingo hall cark park.

I think the idea is quite a good one. As much as I am not a patron of ASDA myself, private investment in the area will be a win-win situation both for local jobs and for the Saints.

I expect many of these questions to be answered when formal planning documents are published. This will be quite a drawn out process though.

NO WORRIES, I NEW IT TO BE TRUE BUT JUST DIDNT WANT TO SOUND LIKE A KNOW IT ALL...

COME ON YOU SAINTS!!

but why the caps?

OH AND IF MY SPEELINGS ARE INCORRECT....I AINT BOVERED !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My first thought on first seeing this was that it was a wind-up.
My second (after realising that it was true) was that it was a case of the bean-counters selling the family silver to balance the books for the year, so that their targets for the year are met and their dependant bonuses get paid (Am I cynical, or what?)
Other thoughts included;
- dismay at the loss of the training pitches and the resulting problems. E.G. increased distance between training pitches and medical facilities in case of training injuries, valuable time lost every day travelling to and from distant training facilities, etc.
- we already have a perceived problem with the local population regarding parking on match days. What effect will vastly increasing the crowd capacity and simultaneously vastly decreasing the car parking spaces available have on local opinion?
However, clarification from Barfly that training pitch one will remain unaffected if very welcome news.

Until I see and understand the plans fully, it's diffcult to comment, but one thing that would be very disappointing would be if the two large training areas (not the 1st team training) are lost - this is where most Saturday's during the season, there is a junior rugby festival for one of the agre groups. To lose the festivals and the bonds it creates between Saints and the local rugby clubs would be hugely significant in my opinion. I do hope the club have thought about this.

Two words - professional rugby.

It's inevitable, and the clock ain't going to tick backwards.

It works at MK Dons, perfectly satisfactorily - and the jobs are real...

Ash,

you have made your point and it was a valid one.

Thank you for the news.

Now could you turn your CAPS LOCK off please?

Enjoy the game tonight!

Twickenham 27th May 2000 - The Stoop 22nd May 2009
First time, Every time!

I think this is a great plan.Two points; for the umpteenth time the bingo hall is NOT a problem for the Sturtridge development and as far as car parking is concerned it looks as though the top training pitch, which isn't used much, will replace the land going to Asda and become a car park. Comparisons by NTFC fans are inevitable but when all's said and done the Cobblers cannot even fill their 7000 odd capacity now so how can they justify a larger stadium ?

Reading the comments in the chron has mad me very sad. As a saints supporter I want us to have the stadium we need, 13500 would have seemed huge 10 years ago and now we've outgrown it. As a consequence we need to expand and if we need ASDA to do it then so be it. I am a little surprised though because Uncle keith announced he had the cash to expand in place and the plans would get the green light as soon as we were safe from relegation. However I'm also a Northamptonian who would like to see the football club in a stadium that befits a town of our size and I'd also like the county cricket club to make more of the county ground. there are however more than three sports in the world. I'd like Silverstone to get the GP back and it would be nice if the excellent basketball work that goes on in the county is recognised.

“Green is the prime color of the world, and that from which its loveliness arises.”

Conspiracy theory


1 apply for planning permission which may well get refused. - Club puts in land sacrifice to show how much we need it.

2 Plans rejected.

3 Outcry among Saints supporters.

4 Plans highlight a need for food outlet

5 WNDC offer Beacon Bingo a new site in Sixfields

6 Asda and Saints co-operate to build Stand and Store on site (WHICH USED TO BE A SUPERMARKET)

7 Job done


And if you think that's Machiavellian, which member of our management did a deal over flags, horns and drums (1st 2 yes - if you ditch the 3rd) - Then had 5 police vans outside, waiting for the trouble?