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Longacre_red

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And i " may " spend my lottery winnings on my yacht eating caviar off Kelly Brook's chest whilst Nathalie Portman warms my silk sheets in the boudoir.

 

Can I come too?

 

Oooohhhhhhhhhhh maaaatron!

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I believe the future definitely lies at Ashton Gate and it would be a major surprise if planning permission were refused, given George Ferguson's antipathy to the idea of a bigger Sainsburys in BS3. It is not the new stadium the majority of fans hoped for, but the redevelopment of AG will neverthess help secureicon1.png the club's future. Bristol City and their fans have been starved of success in recent years and a major infrastructure project of this kind will hopefully provide a focal point for recovery both on and off the pitch. I think all those who have seen the plans will agree, the new Ashton Gate will be a facility all City fans can rightly be proud of. Tangible progress on this project ought to engender renewed enthusiasm among the fan-base and be the catalyst for creating a mind-set that perceives Bristol City as a club on the march rather than one struggling to emerge from torpor. We can only hope that Bristol City councillors share the same outlook.

 

Totally agree with what Stockhausen says above, get on and build the thing.

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Totally agree with what Stockhausen says above, get on and build the thing.

 

Second that! The club has said if we are in with a very slim chance of getting promotion (which lets face it we are) they start work asap to get it finished asap. Good news imo, will give the club a new impetus once finished-exciting times to be a city fan, once things are turned round fully on the pitch I fully believe we will be a clube (as a whole) on the up again.

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Second that! The club has said if we are in with a very slim chance of getting promotion (which lets face it we are) they start work asap to get it finished asap.

When has the club said that? League position and the prospects for promotion (or even relegation) have no bearing on the need to build or redevelop. They will want to get something going regardless of current form on the pitch.

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When has the club said that? League position and the prospects for promotion (or even relegation) have no bearing on the need to build or redevelop. They will want to get something going regardless of current form on the pitch.

 

It was an interview earlier this year with sl or one of the board I think. I think you've misunderstood my point, what i mean is the club are keen to start as soon as possible, even in this season, but they wouldn't have done had we been up the top of the league needing a full capacity (for the big games of course). Now that is looking unlikely the work will most probably start at the beginning of the new year, as the post reports.

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It was an interview earlier this year with sl or one of the board I think. I think you've misunderstood my point, what i mean is the club are keen to start as soon as possible, even in this season, but they wouldn't have done had we been up the top of the league needing a full capacity (for the big games of course). Now that is looking unlikely the work will most probably start at the beginning of the new year, as the post reports.

Ah, I hear ya. Makes sense, except for the logistics of demolishing the EE part way through the season. Is that really workable?

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We are a club in dire straights... Fans have gone from dreaming of playing premier league football in a brand new stadium to more than likely playing league 1 football in a mish match of a stadium that can only ever house 27,000. Some may say that puts the gas in a superior position to us going forward... The Ashton vale saga and the way we gave gone down with no fight or a whimper has left a massively bitter taste in our mouths...

Is that poor excuse of a stadium ( the new gate) gonna take that bitter taste away.. Nay chance

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We are a club in dire straights... Fans have gone from dreaming of playing premier league football in a brand new stadium to more than likely playing league 1 football in a mish match of a stadium that can only ever house 27,000. Some may say that puts the gas in a superior position to us going forward... The Ashton vale saga and the way we gave gone down with no fight or a whimper has left a massively bitter taste in our mouths...

Is that poor excuse of a stadium ( the new gate) gonna take that bitter taste away.. Nay chance

 

Does anyone know if the design of the new Gate has the potential for an increase in a capacity from the 27,000 or is that the absolute max?

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Does anyone know if the design of the new Gate has the potential for an increase in a capacity from the 27,000 or is that the absolute max?

Currently that's the max. Otherwise I'm certain the club would have gone bigger.

However, the only time we would ever need to increase from 27,000 would be if we became an established premier league side, like Swansea have done. (Long way off anyway). If we found ourselves in that positionI reckon the council would be far more willing to back further expansion works then they currently are, and the increased financial power of the club may even allow it to buy up and demolish houses behind the EE or Atyeo to enable further expansion.

Who knows? It's just a theory. Either way, I like the plans for redeveloping AG and the new facility will suit us just fine most likely.

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Does anyone know if the design of the new Gate has the potential for an increase in a capacity from the 27,000 or is that the absolute max?

 

Probably the most pertinent question surrounding the subject and brings us squarely back to what SL said at the outset in no uncertain terms: he said that we need a stadium of a minimum of 30k to have sustainable football in the top flight. So then.. we end up with one 3k short of that with no hotel and far fewer revenue streams which is about a quadruple whammy.

 

Either then he has another idea up his private sleeve for buying out all the houses behind the Atyeo or he will go as far as he can and get us to be a sustainable championship club with a 27k capacity... oh but hang on... with revenues about 1/10th of what they are in the prem we end up with a financial stranglehold of a refurbished stadium that sinks us in then Championship or makes too little revenue in the Prem. 

 

I would therefore be flabbergasted if SL goes ahead with AG UNLESS he has that private idea up his sleeve to expand the 27k at some point in the future. Buying out about 15 houses is a very tenuous link to that. Knock down the Dolman at a later date?

 

p.s. notwithstanding a rugby club helping to cushion the financial blow I suppose. So maybe the proverbial goal posts have changed in shape and design literally and metaphorically. 

 

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Does anyone know if the design of the new Gate has the potential for an increase in a capacity from the 27,000 or is that the absolute max?

Landsdown junior aluded that we may be able to increase if needeed. If safe standing is made legal then the capacity will be just under 30k. Ample imo.

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Probably the most pertinent question surrounding the subject and brings us squarely back to what SL said at the outset in no uncertain terms: he said that we need a stadium of a minimum of 30k to have sustainable football in the top flight. So then.. we end up with one 3k short of that with no hotel and far fewer revenue streams which is about a quadruple whammy.

 

Either then he has another idea up his private sleeve for buying out all the houses behind the Atyeo or he will go as far as he can and get us to be a sustainable championship club with a 27k capacity... oh but hang on... with revenues about 1/10th of what they are in the prem we end up with a financial stranglehold of a refurbished stadium that sinks us in then Championship or makes too little revenue in the Prem. 

 

I would therefore be flabbergasted if SL goes ahead with AG UNLESS he has that private idea up his sleeve to expand the 27k at some point in the future. Buying out about 15 houses is a very tenuous link to that. Knock down the Dolman at a later date?

 

p.s. notwithstanding a rugby club helping to cushion the financial blow I suppose. So maybe the proverbial goal posts have changed in shape and design literally and metaphorically. 

 

 

Since Ashton Vale was announced, and with the impact of financial fair play rules I've always felt that, as far as our stadium is concerned, doing nothing would never be an option.

 

Ashton Vale would have given the best chance of putting in place all the facilities that would enable the club to maximise income both on match day and also on non-match days - hotels, conference facilities etc.

 

I don't  think that AV is necessarily dead in the water, but suspect that SL realises that to get it will take a long game, so in the meantime the only alternative is to make the most of AG through redevelopment. Ok it might not give us a hotel and conference facilities, but we can get better spectator facilities and some corporate boxes in place and while we are in league 1 will we really miss a 30,000 capacity?

 

At the time AV was announced we could conceivably have been a season from the prem. Realistically, and with the new football philosophy, player recruitment and bringing through young players we are at least 5-7 years from a shot at the prem - baring something quite remarkable so will we need the ability to increase the capacity of AG if, during that time other stadium options materialise - either AV resurfacing or your idea of SL having a trick up his sleeve.

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The new stadium will hopefully have better seats with more elbow and leg room as well as decent sight lines. The other important issues are access and parking - and both of these will be poor at a revamped AG. AV is the only long term solution that will give the Club the potential to survive beyond the Championship. If the Lansdown clan really want to make their mark in Bristol for the next century they need to build AV. A revamped AG will leave us as a nearly club for all eternity.

Its crap or get off the pot time!

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No it's not, and certainly better than a concrete soulless bowl of a so called stadium. And Ashton Gate is the home of Bristol City, and for me as a kid it was a magical place to go, and still is, to retain an improved AG will be fantastic.

Magical my ass, more like a place of bad memories....

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I love the "dream" idea that if we stay at Ashton Gate, then SL builds houses on Ashton Vale in return for the block of flats behind the Dolman.

 

In the meantime, the houses behind the Atyeo are then bought up over the years, and when(or if) the need arises in future, we then have the necessary footprint to rebuild the Dolman & Atyeo to be much larger.

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As I understand it, once the safe standing is official, there will be room for another 3,000 or so due to the fact that you can get 2 people standing as opposed to one sitting in the safe standing seats (if you see what I mean...). So capacity could be around 30k once safe standing is formally adopted.

Hotel etc etc?

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It really bothers me that we've been forced to go for the second choice, second rate option because of a bunch of dog walkers. The new gate will look ok but i cant see it pushing us forward like the vale would have.

I guess bristol will have the ground and team that its citys people deserve.

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Hotel etc etc?

Dead right.  

 

I'd rather the club dug in and fought this TVG crap, as I've seen us settle for second best too many times in my lifetime and that's probably why we're where we are now.  

 

We've got to go for for the 1st choice, or we'd live to regret redeveloping AG in a very short time and where the hell is everyone going to park anyway???

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Dead right.  

 

I'd rather the club dug in and fought this TVG crap, as I've seen us settle for second best too many times in my lifetime and that's probably why we're where we are now.  

 

We've got to go for for the 1st choice, or we'd live to regret redeveloping AG in a very short time and where the hell is everyone going to park anyway???

what do you think they've been doing and spenting millions on twiddling their thumbs?

If we've settle for the revamp it means there is no legal way we can win Ashton Vale, if the club want a new ground with Ashton Vale off the table then they have to move out of the city to severn side or portishead or something like that which isn't going to happen,

27k isn't the maximum we can have, its whats being banded around with 3 stands being devloped,

The club have silently been buying the houses and areas around the ground for years, if we started using the 27k max then they atyeo would be redevloped (if planning permission were to be agreed) filling in the corners and slightly highering the stand which would make it a capacity of problliy 30 - 32k which is the absolute max we could get on the current land we own,

 

Yes Ashton gate is the second option but it isn't a poor second option, the main revenue we are missing out on in footballing terms is conferencing and boxes something thats been incorprated into the re-design, thats the main reason we were never on a level playing field in terms of cash in the championship and thats the main reason we want a new/redevloped ground not some fancy hotel or nice housing estate but some boxes we can sell and make additional money on match days for both the rugby and the football club

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what do you think they've been doing and spenting millions on twiddling their thumbs?

If we've settle for the revamp it means there is no legal way we can win Ashton Vale, if the club want a new ground with Ashton Vale off the table then they have to move out of the city to severn side or portishead or something like that which isn't going to happen,

27k isn't the maximum we can have, its whats being banded around with 3 stands being devloped,

The club have silently been buying the houses and areas around the ground for years, if we started using the 27k max then they atyeo would be redevloped (if planning permission were to be agreed) filling in the corners and slightly highering the stand which would make it a capacity of problliy 30 - 32k which is the absolute max we could get on the current land we own,

Yes Ashton gate is the second option but it isn't a poor second option, the main revenue we are missing out on in footballing terms is conferencing and boxes something thats been incorprated into the re-design, thats the main reason we were never on a level playing field in terms of cash in the championship and thats the main reason we want a new/redevloped ground not some fancy hotel or nice housing estate but some boxes we can sell and make additional money on match days for both the rugby and the football club

You are wrong!

The club has failed miserably. This should have been taken to the very top of government. National media should have been informed etc etc.

Ashton vale sunk without trace.

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You are wrong!

The club has failed miserably. This should have been taken to the very top of government. National media should have been informed etc etc.

Ashton vale sunk without trace.

it went to the secutary of state who like the gas signed off on the project but it didn't stop Trash or the TVGers going to the courts and thats the problem with democracy

and it hasn't sunk with out of trace we have a hearing about it in a fortnight with the expert who told us last time that only the norht part wasn't a tvg (which we werent going for at them time)

The national media has been reporting on it right the way through its only out of everyones minds as since feb this year we havent been able to do anything until first 30th oct and now 27th Nov,

 

You are the one who is wrong

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also when was it bad to have a back up plan? unlike the gas we are able to redevlop because our owner has the money to do so, if the gas lose to trash they are stuck with the minimal forever

 

Yes but will it be more good money going to waste?  For me redeveloping AG is like trying to revamp a run-down inner city high street, whearas AV would have been like getting a brand new shiny, easy access, easy parking out-of-town shopping centre.

 

You will always have the die-hards who will want to stay with the traditional (be that AG or high-street shopping), but to see an real increase in trade you have to have something that offers wider appeal, is comfortable, easy to get to, easy to park etc (i.e. AV or out-of-town shopping centre). 

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what do you think they've been doing and spenting millions on twiddling their thumbs?

If we've settle for the revamp it means there is no legal way we can win Ashton Vale, if the club want a new ground with Ashton Vale off the table then they have to move out of the city to severn side or portishead or something like that which isn't going to happen,

27k isn't the maximum we can have, its whats being banded around with 3 stands being devloped,

The club have silently been buying the houses and areas around the ground for years, if we started using the 27k max then they atyeo would be redevloped (if planning permission were to be agreed) filling in the corners and slightly highering the stand which would make it a capacity of problliy 30 - 32k which is the absolute max we could get on the current land we own,

Yes Ashton gate is the second option but it isn't a poor second option, the main revenue we are missing out on in footballing terms is conferencing and boxes something thats been incorprated into the re-design, thats the main reason we were never on a level playing field in terms of cash in the championship and thats the main reason we want a new/redevloped ground not some fancy hotel or nice housing estate but some boxes we can sell and make additional money on match days for both the rugby and the football club

Do we know the club have been buying up houses or just hearsay? Atyeo can't be increased in height as like the dolman of light problems for the residents.

Don't think we could fill in the corners for would mean the pitch wouldn't get enough light on it and as of next season with it being used double the amount needs lot of work on it even when it's moved.

We also need av for the hotel retail development there which makes extra money. Parking at ag is bad enough already, would the council let us build boxes conference facilities without looking into traffic management in the area.

Amount of money we would get from a few boxes is nothing compared to av, and with ffp next season in the championship as well we need as much revenue as possible to compete.

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I'm all for staying at Ashton Gate

 

I'd also like for us to struggle to stay in League 1 each year, with a massive debt hanging over our heads with no prospect of ever being a decent football club. Much better than having a new stadium we can be proud of, that will generate a steady flow of revenue, increase our crowds and get us to a standard of football that the likes of Reading enjoy.  :P

 

Totally respect your view, but I honestly can't understand why anyone would want us to stay at AG. 

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Do we know the club have been buying up houses or just hearsay? Atyeo can't be increased in height as like the dolman of light problems for the residents.

Don't think we could fill in the corners for would mean the pitch wouldn't get enough light on it and as of next season with it being used double the amount needs lot of work on it even when it's moved.

We also need av for the hotel retail development there which makes extra money. Parking at ag is bad enough already, would the council let us build boxes conference facilities without looking into traffic management in the area.

Amount of money we would get from a few boxes is nothing compared to av, and with ffp next season in the championship as well we need as much revenue as possible to compete.

 

With a dessa pitch it does need light and specialised clear roofs will help with this. In winter there are options to use lamps that sit just above the pitch to help the grass grow, similar use at Old Trafford.

 

With staying at AG I can see a hotel eventually being built on land currently used by the BCCT on match days in the Hirerite building. They can use this area as a hotel.

 

With retail, this is the area that will be lacking staying at AG as there is already a retail park next to AG plus there is no room to build.

 

As for buying houses backing on to the Ateyo. I don't think that will ever happen.

 

MM

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The one thing that we'll never be able to fix at AG no matter how many houses we but up is the transport links. With AV, people could have got on a train at Temple Meads and got off 5 minutes later at the stadium. That not only makes it more attractive to new/part time fans, but it makes it more attractive as a conference venue and hotel. We just can't replicate that at Ashton Gate, no matter how great it would be to stay there and redevelop

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The one thing that we'll never be able to fix at AG no matter how many houses we but up is the transport links. With AV, people could have got on a train at Temple Meads and got off 5 minutes later at the stadium. That not only makes it more attractive to new/part time fans, but it makes it more attractive as a conference venue and hotel. We just can't replicate that at Ashton Gate, no matter how great it would be to stay there and redevelop

that can be solved by re-opening Ashton Gate Station along the POD along with a station in Pill and Portishead, you can also catch the train from Parson St and Bedminster too if you cba to walk

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With a dessa pitch it does need light and specialised clear roofs will help with this. In winter there are options to use lamps that sit just above the pitch to help the grass grow, similar use at Old Trafford.

With staying at AG I can see a hotel eventually being built on land currently used by the BCCT on match days in the Hirerite building. They can use this area as a hotel.

With retail, this is the area that will be lacking staying at AG as there is already a retail park next to AG plus there is no room to build.

As for buying houses backing on to the Ateyo. I don't think that will ever happen.

MM

I agree, but do the plans for ag include clear roofs.

If we use the hirerite building for a hotel, where will the parking be for that and where do all the community activities go.

Just think at ag we are basically stuck regards space, unless we buy a load of houses and some of the retail park and that would work out so much dearer than av.

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As I understand it, once the safe standing is official, there will be room for another 3,000 or so due to the fact that you can get 2 people standing as opposed to one sitting in the safe standing seats (if you see what I mean...). So capacity could be around 30k once safe standing is formally adopted.

The problem with using safe standing as the basis of a 30,000 capacity, is how many people would want to stand? There are some supporters who like to stand, but today this is a minority, as most want to sit.  If we ever get to the stage where gates are around the 30,000 level a lot of these extra people will be new / casual supporters. Some might want to stand, but personally, I think these new supporters will be used to watching football on TV and will expect a bit of comfort.  If all they can do is stand, they may decide to stay at home and continue watching Sky football on their sofas.

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WRONG. The EE will be demolished in March 2014 if we get the go ahead. It has to, so the replacement stand is ready for the start of the 2015 season.

I think it will be demolished early next year, but not necessarily for the reason you state.

I think the earlier they crack on with it, the more time they will have the following summer(2015) to start phase 2 - moving the pitch and modifying the dolman.

These structures can be erected surprisingly fast - I seem to remember that wolves had completed demolition before the summer was out, and even had fans populating the new lower tier before november on their impressive new stan culis stand.

Just one other thing. Was wondering about the flats behind the dolman. They have been there for over 50 years; I doubt whether their life span has much left...10-15 years at best. Imagine the space if they were demolished. They'd prob have to locate the bowling green, but still...

Maybe we've been looking at it the wrong way with regards to the industrial units to the west.

Remove the flats, and re locate the mini ind est north of them to the car park behind the east end, and...voila! Rotate and build. Sorted.

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The problem with using safe standing as the basis of a 30,000 capacity, is how many people would want to stand? There are some supporters who like to stand, but today this is a minority, as most want to sit.  If we ever get to the stage where gates are around the 30,000 level a lot of these extra people will be new / casual supporters. Some might want to stand, but personally, I think these new supporters will be used to watching football on TV and will expect a bit of comfort.  If all they can do is stand, they may decide to stay at home and continue watching Sky football on their sofas.

 

How do you know? We haven't had the option for twenty plus years. Personally, I prefer to stand, but don't get the chance, There will be many more like me.

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Plonker

 

Who cares about a hotel, it's got asbsolutely nothing to do with the ground, or football.

 

A redeveloped AG gives us 80% of the income we could have achieved at AV, and more than sufficient capacity.

 

I'll be delighted if it's confirmed we're staying at Ashton Gate.

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A few points:

 

- Wasn't the club on about re-opening the Ashton Gate railway station regardless of whether we remain at AG or go to AV.

 

- Who now owns the old Cruickshanks Mercedes garage? That's quite a large area of land that could house a hotel/club shop/bar etc..

 

- When I mentioned to DaveL about buying the houses behind the EE or Atyeo, he quite rightly mentioned how expensive it would be, but there's always that old devil inside of me thinking that the club are buying them anyhow, but doing it on the sly to keep costs down.

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This is what I was talking about earlier, re: molineux. Having researched it further, it was even more remarkable than I remembered.

From commencing demolition by ripping out the first seats on may 23rd, it was actually open to supporters (lower tier) for a match on the 1st oct. That represents an incredibly quick turn around. Six weeks into the new season, or 4 home games missed.

I'm not saying the east end will necessarily be the same, as it obviously depends on construction technique (particularly the roof), but it illustrates what can be done.

If work began in feb/march, then I'm sure there's a good chance that it would at least be partially open at some stage during the 2014/15 season.

1-84.jpg

CullisRoof.jpg

Images courtesy of wwfc live webcam, and skyscrapercity forum.

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Guest Opeth67

Very depressing this thread is. Ashton Vale is the only obvious, sensible route for the club to go down. As that looks unlikely it will now only be a third class option left to us. A third class option for a third class team.

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A few points:

 

- Wasn't the club on about re-opening the Ashton Gate railway station regardless of whether we remain at AG or go to AV.

 

- Who now owns the old Cruickshanks Mercedes garage? That's quite a large area of land that could house a hotel/club shop/bar etc..

 

- When I mentioned to DaveL about buying the houses behind the EE or Atyeo, he quite rightly mentioned how expensive it would be, but there's always that old devil inside of me thinking that the club are buying them anyhow, but doing it on the sly to keep costs down.

didn't lansdown buy that 2 years ago?

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Dunno, it's all quiet.

 

I think he now owns the old Hirerite, hence why the club uses it, but not so sure about the Merc garage.

 

Whilst I think about, who now owns the old Wedlock's pub site?

thats where the football musium and new socail club/pub is going isn;t it? so my guess would again be the club,

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