Stadium Expansion - Bushey Hall

If there is one thing I can’t stand it’s Nimbyism. Why can’t people accept that when they buy a house that’s all they’re buying. It’s then a lottery what happens beyond the boundaries of their property and they shouldn't make any assumptions about what is beyond the boundary of their property staying as it is.

 

The first phase outlined would be for a clubhouse, care home, five and seven-a-side football pitches, and a nine-hole golf course.

The second phase would involve a 30,000 capacity football stadium, club shop, offices, arena, hotel, cinema, restaurant, and recreation facilities.

It's apparently a 40 hectare site (approximately 100 acres), but could they really be able to fit all that into it?

You may get 5,000 objections from the locals, but the employment opportunity would be enormous. It's Hertsmere Borough Council but I suspect the Watford Borough Council would love to get the land Watford FC currently occupies for the hospital expansion.

It could all come together nicely. Dependent totally on Watford gaining promotion and staying up for around 4/5 years I'd say. Even if we go up this season, it will take at least a couple of years to get back on an even keel before looking into the costing of a new stadium.

 

HBC don't have a good record in stadia development. People forget how HBC bent over for the gooner-filth when it was apparent that Highbury was not fit for purpose (aka: a death trap). London Colney/Shenley looked very attractive: their existing training facilities, many players already owned small properties in the Napsbury development, excellent M25 Access and the need for expanding rail travel for the commuters in the dormitory suburbs of Hertsmere. ISTR what it failed upon was Nimbyism dressed up as a lack of match-day parking / traffic disruption (and Islington suddenly really upping its game).

 

Some of the comments underneath the article
are priceless .

 

I think it is unnecessary, so I voted against

But, I do like he idea of getting rid of a golf course

 

I'd be all for this. It's hardly out of town either. Probably closer to the junction than the Vic for transport.

Also having worked in exhibitions/events most of my life (up until covid) the idea of event space akin to the Ricoh Arena would be a great way to increase non matchday revenue.

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The site will have excellent access created direct from J5 of the M1 but no train station nearby but the line is close by.
There are overhead electricity pylons and cables running through the course so the players will have to keep the ball down!
The course is currently closed and whilst 100 years old nobody expects the owners to keep their word and reopen.
When it was open, residents complained of golfers standing on Tees looking into their gardens so God knows what objections they would put in!
Overall I think the site has potential to suit everybody if enough carrots are offered in return but this would be a 5 to 10 year option as has been said.

 

So you'd have no objections to a traveller site at the end of your garden?

 

I live in a town centre, so it would be extremely unlikely. But if I moved somewhere with land at the end of my garden that could be developed I’d move in with my eyes open. Living in a town centre means I don’t have to worry about having a traveller site built at the end of my garden, anyone with similar worries can make the same choices.

 

Nice swerve. Everyone has the right to quiet enjoyment, or if in the town centre, not so quiet enjoyment of their own homes. If something comes along that will radically change their current living conditions for the worse then d*mn right they have every right to complain about it. If nobody kept Watford FC in check they'd absolutely take the p*ss, as would every building company. Nimbysm is my neighbours who complain about EVERYTHING I do, even when it benefits the ****s.

 

I get what you're both saying, no one would want to move to a tranquil village to find that a giant Tesco will be built there. I live on the edge of Watford near the film studios, when I came here it was before the Harry Potter experience opened, it's no hassle however if one day they decide to charge for the car park it will mean that some people will start parking in nearby streets.

In the case of Bushey Hall, I assume that if they do get planning permission, they will create an access road from the A4008 minimising the effect of traffic on Aldenham Road.

 

But I do live in a town centre, that’s my choice, there is no chance a traveller site will be built at the end of the garden but then there are other things that can happen that wouldn’t happen in the country. My last house was in 10 miles of Heathrow and wasn’t at the time under any flight paths. Proposals came through to change the flight paths and naturally there were protests, demonstrations, banners etc. What do people expect living so close to the airport? It was always something that could happen, so if you don’t want the risk don’t buy a house that close or sell your house and move somewhere else.

 

The golf course was clearly bought as a investment opportunity. As it is green belt there are limited development options. i see the stadium idea is a phase 2 - that could mean a decade or more after phase 1 which includes a 9 hole golf course, probably located nearer the surrounding houses as a buffer to the phase 2 options. No doubt if the developer cannot persuade Watford to move, then other buildings related to leisure can take its place. However putting in the option of the stadium in the development plan for the land, surely is not a whim. There must be some fire for this smoke. If accepted in the plan, the option is truly alive.

I personally would be happy for us to move to this site if it was part of the strategy to build on Premier League success on the pitch. Also at this point to stay where we are.

A nightmare scenario would be QPR and Wasps RFU turning out as occupiers of a new M1 Jct 5 stadium

 

This really doesn't feel like an opportune time to build a vast, new, expensive stadium, though the designs were beautiful.

 

You're right. We should wait until Thursday to do it. Nothing ever happens on a Thursday and while the burghers of Bushey are in their beds Gino will get the stadium up.

 

I like moog.

 

Much is made of Arsenal and Spurs being hamstrung on the pitch by their expensive stadiums, but they wouldn’t build them if it wasn’t going to benefit them eventually.

Obviously we’re a smaller club but it’s all relative. Even if we don’t or can’t increase match day attendance, we can increase match day spend and non match day revenue.

So on day one of a new stadium being open you’re instantly making more money, even if your attendance stays the same. No doubt the build costs would be partially/largely financed externally (and costs somehow offset against tax liabilities) and the cost of servicing the debt offset against the increased revenue.

Longer term if you can grow your attendance then great, even better.

Of course it would make more sense all round if we were a consistent premier league club, but as long we remain at least a championship club then a new stadium could probably still be financed in a way that doesn’t affect us on the pitch either way, but puts us in a stronger position financially in the long term.

 

We should have built DeeneyDome years ago. This looks like the perfect spot.

 

It’s only 100 acres unfortunately.

 

Is that like the massive sarcophagus they’ve built to contain the contamination at Chernobyl?



If that’s what it takes to stop him being picked then I guess Gino has no choice.

 

As most of you live around that area, I was wondering if anyone could answer this but I didn't want to make this a separate thread. Isn't the Green Belt supposed to be a strip of countryside separating London from the home counties and thus preventing any further expansion? If so, how does that explain the fact that for instance, looking at this map Stanmore and Bushey Heath seem to be right next to each other (and if you blow it up then you'll notice there are a fair few houses on either side)?

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.6287714,-0.3331055,16z

 

Deeney’s availability to be picked by head coaches seemingly has a very similar half life.

 

There is designated Green Belt land all over the country, not just around London and the demarcation is not quite as simple as just a strip of countryside, although that is the principle to prevent urban sprawl.

 

Club confirms we will be building this new stadium if we return to the Premier League.

 

Did you see this on Twitter? I can't find it.

 

Ready for our participation in the Champions League.

 

April Fool's Day?

 

Thanks, no one told me.

 

Ready just in time for our relegation back to the champ then ?

 

This one is not an April fools joke.

Plans reveal more about possible Watford FC move to Bushey | Watford Observer

 

I feel a bit of artistic license has been used with the parking to greenery balance there.

 

It would be quite something if this manages to go through.

Here's the official proposal document.
Hertsmere Call for Sites Rep FINAL Email Version[1]

 

Not a bad guess! It's taken them 9 months to make a pretty render of my furlough drawing, slackers.

 

If it is to be 33k capacity, it would still not be large enough for us to break our record attendance. Surely push it up to 35k and be done with it?