Away Stand | Vital Football

Away Stand

The local residents who used to hang out of their top windows and view the big games objected to it, so we never got planning permission for the stand.
 
The BMS has been like this since around 2000. Probably has a preservation order on it by now and listed (or listing whichever you prefer). Of course it will be much clearer when we get the long awaited news about the new stadium but I wouldn't hold your breath in anticipation.
 
The local residents who used to hang out of their top windows and view the big games objected to it, so we never got planning permission for the stand.
 
I was awake to see the stewards in top form trying to eject the young Gillingham fan even though the away fans were behaving a lot worse.

Easy target I suppose.
 
A simple stand not as deep with facilities like a bar could be paid for by using a small amount of land for a building project like a few flats.There is not that much room and clearly we could not to higher than the present level .But there is space there that it the stand was a two tier narrow version like at many grounds.There could be enough space for a development that could pay for it .Yes it would mean a slight reduction in capacity but given we have 500 seats that have to be empty because of parking issues anyway.A reduction of say a thousand where you could use the stand for away fans only with good can following and split it upper and lower for teams who only bring a few .Leaving room for a development at the end of Priestfield road should be possible all be it fairly small .
 
Bromley_GFC said:
. We've known for years our pitch has been awful, couldn't this have been sorted out before the season started rather than risk pissing Gills fans off even more?

I really am sick of the way Gillingham Football Club is run these days, after many years of thinking the criticism of Scally was a bit harsh and over the top, I've had enough.
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Just my thoughts on why it wasn't (all guesses) :

(1) We didn't have the money in the summer (Egan or CP money has now arrived)

(2) We hoped that it would hold out but it hasn't and now the word dangerous has crept in the vocabulary. That probably has the words compensation and litigation hanging over it if a player suffers a serious injury due to the condition of the pitch.

(3) A bargain pitch has suddenly become available i.e. some other contract has fallen through and the pitch company need a new customer with a decent discount. We love a bargain at Gills.
 
I have long called for a new Town End stand, even a low-level 1,000 seater with roof would be far better than what is there now, but usually people say it's a waste of money as we'll be moving to a new stadium within a few years! :lol:
I honestly cannot see us moving to a new ground while Scally is still the owner and Chairman, so we may as well make the best of Priestfield and I suppose a new hybrid pitch is at least a start.
 
You would not get planning permission and some teams like Sunderland loved our temporary open sitting - not sure they would in the depths of winter
 
We DID get planning permission for a new stand at the Gillingham end and mighty fine it was too. It was larger than the Rainham End and included more executive boxes. That permission has now lapsed but, generally, it is not too difficult to get lapsed permissions renewed. PS simply decided not to proceed when weighing up the cost and making a judgement on a new ground. He has said in the past that if he decided that the new ground couldn’t happen he’d revisit the issue of the Gillingham end. As I’ve said in the past I believe that a new ground is considerably closer than a lot of people think. That’s because the planning position is currently quite favourable. I say so with experience of a few major development projects.
 
Therealwaldo said:
We DID get planning permission for a new stand at the Gillingham end and mighty fine it was too. It was larger than the Rainham End and included more executive boxes. That permission has now lapsed but, generally, it is not too difficult to get lapsed permissions renewed. PS simply decided not to proceed when weighing up the cost and making a judgement on a new ground. He has said in the past that if he decided that the new ground couldn’t happen he’d revisit the issue of the Gillingham end. As I’ve said in the past I believe that a new ground is considerably closer than a lot of people think. That’s because the planning position is currently quite favourable. I say so with experience of a few major development projects.
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If true why then the pitch overspend? While it might be possible to move the surface the drainage cost is a one off required spend without a doubt but not if we were to move within a few years .Closer that a lot of people think however .Most think never .So fifty years is closer than a lot of people think I suppose.
 
Chris who, the pitch clearly needs replacing now. I think the new stadium is irrelevant to the pitch issue. If you’re trying to solve the surface issue I think most would agree it’s daft to do that and not to solve the drainage problem. Leaving it in the summer was a mistake but the only damage is the shifting of one significant fixture and one insignificant one. The main timescale for the stadium is governed by the Local Plan which I imagine would be in the next year. That would pave the way for the Club’s application which might take another 1-2 years. So a realistic timescale might be 3 years. Planning permission might itself lead to a much more positive situation with the funding.
 
I guess the question is should planning permission be granted for a new stadium then who has Scally got lined up to pay for it?
 
The "problem" with the new proposed stadium is the lack of information/updates from any official GFC source. We get the odd bit of bait and then it goes quiet for many months. I accept Waldo's knowledge that things may be happening but this sadly, after so many delays, is giving most of us cynical battle fatigue. If it is dead in the water so be it but it smacks of mushroom management by GFC - e.g. being kept in the dark and fed bullshit. How can it take so long?
 
Gills plans only started in earnest once they’d identified a site. They’ve now got Medway’s agreement to the Mill Hill site having a land use designation that would allow a stadium. That’s a big step. Brighton struggled to achieve that and it took the Secretary of Stare to overrule the local Council. The local plan needs to be approved and that would then smooth a planning application. No new football ground is an easy process. Luton Town have been trying since they were a League 1 (formerly premiership) side and that’s a lot of years.
 
Scally has few friends so given the fact that regardless of where or when. There will be a significant public resistance to any plans to move.Apart from perhaps fans and a few local residents that live around the current ground. Thanks for your views on the matter Waldo you clearly have a good understanding of where we are at .Perhaps Scally has recently realised that we are likely to be at Priestfield for many years yet a ten year plan perhaps is realistic. By which time Scally may well have gone anyway.
 
We’re averaging about 5-6000 with the average away following in the division being about 200, so what it the point in wasting millions on a new away stand, especially given, in theory, we’re supposed to be moving at some stage this century? Regardless, unless we get promoted, get more money, and are getting near capacity and getting big away followings week in week out, I can’t see why we’d waste money on the town end. Personally I’d sooner money is spent on the playing squad or pointlessly relaying the pitch!
 
Anyone know if a 4G pitch would be transferable to another stadium?

Would it be worth spending a bit more money and getting a full WiFi version?
 
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