St James’ Park dilemma – The vision of the Newcastle United owners for the future?
Everyone, please bear with me as I recount one of my small stories.
Years ago, I moved to a pleasant new estate north of Newcastle.
That excellent estate had a lovely new first school on it, and because Mrs S was pregnant at the time, this was ideal for us. Our children attended this original school and enjoyed it, and by the time our eldest graduated, a wonderful new middle / high school was planned for somewhere on the estate to ensure a smooth transition.
Our eldest is now in her third year of middle school and ground has yet to be broken on that school, with my kids needing to take a bus ride to a constantly filling temporary building, with the promise that things will be on track by the end of the next school year ringing hollow.
There are a few factors in this; the unexpected pandemic, contractor availability etc, but a major obstruction seems to have been consistent planning objections by a local environment group who consider it to be too close to the local nature reserve. This included objections to upgrading a disused field to be the school playing field and to secure a mud path for access to the site, both of which crossed the line in my opinion, from serious objection to time wasting and obstruction. In cases such as these when planning permission is mooted, you can log onto the council’s website and lodge support or objections to the plans online.
I went on to express my support at one point and was astounded by the list of complaints from far afar, as people from Reading and Milton Keynes were weighing in on a development in a place they’d probably never visit without fully understanding the local impact. None of this completely halted work, but it did create issues that resulted in the significant delays we have had to endure.
Those who have remained with me this far may see where this is going.
The enlargement of St James’ Park, or the chance of Newcastle United moving to a new location, has once again made news, as Luke Edwards’ speculative story on the subject seemed to spark much conversation, leading me to believe the club itself may have something to say shortly.
The party line is that we will try to stay at St James’ Park, and solutions are being discussed. Given my previous experience, this is where my doubts begin to arise.
Two of the proposed extension alternatives include building on Leazes Park or Castle Leazes (the land on the opposite side of Leazes Park that is part of Town Moor land), which would provide extra area to remodel a new stadium.
The enlargement of St James’ Park, or the chance of Newcastle United moving to a new location, has once again made news, as Luke Edwards’ speculative story on the subject seemed to spark much conversation, leading me to believe the club itself may have something to say shortly.
The party line is that we will try to stay at St James’ Park, and solutions are being discussed. Given my previous experience, this is where my doubts begin to arise.
Two of the proposed extension alternatives include building on Leazes Park or Castle Leazes (the land on the opposite side of Leazes Park that is part of Town Moor land), which would provide extra area to remodel a new stadium.
Moving around the grounds, the much-publicized issue of Leazes Terrace being a listed building is another issue that appears to be oversimplified. There may be solutions, but moving or demolishing the buildings will face strong opposition. This would most likely be worse than the parkland because I don’t see a compromise approach, such as the “switcheroo” proposal stated above. I believe it is widely acknowledged that this could be the most significant impediment to the “full bowl” concept.
The Gallowgate should, in theory, be unique. Given that the Halls and Shepherd prepared some preliminary ideas for potential extension some 20 years ago, this is still a possibility.
The first issue to the south would be Strawberry Place, which I’m confident could be resolved. I don’t feel this is required as a traffic thoroughfare, though access may be required for ambulances traveling to the RVI, which could be accomplished in the same way that traffic may travel beneath the Milburn stand, but as a public road, it can close for me.
The Metro is less straightforward. I’ve always believed St James’ metro station was a total white elephant that could be removed if it gets in the way. However, it appears to be the beginning of a potential link to the city’s west end, and filling it in would eliminate that plan.
People would not like it, and it could be detrimental to the city’s future infrastructure, thus the metro must remain and be incorporated into any growth. Again, I believe this could be accomplished.
However, given all of the other concerns, how realistic is it to proceed with the Gallowgate extension? The stands have previously been built and repaired during the offseason, so there is a good chance it will go without disturbing matches, but what do you gain?
The capacity of St James’ Park increased from 36k to 52k as the Leazes and Milburn were extended to include the top tier. Even if you could do both corners, I believe the Gallowgate would see less of an increase.
Is it worth this lengthy rebuilding for ten thousand more seats? And will this be enough to provide the financial and competitive advantage that Spurs have achieved via investment in renovated stadiums?
Again, I’m going to use anecdotes. Last summer, I made my first visit to the O2 (previously the Millenium Dome). With our arena disintegrating, major acts have begun to drop Newcastle from their tour schedules, and I wasn’t going to miss Iron Maiden, was I? The design of the venue piqued my interest, as the main performance stadium is located in the center, with a doughnut-shaped mall wrapping around it, filled with bars, restaurants, and sales booths. For a concert, you must pass through a ticketed gate to enter the doughnut mall, but I believe it is open to anyone when there is no show.
Getting away afterwards is a bit like leaving Wembley, with one underground station and no nearby options to grab a pint or a bite.
I thought of the O2 when what I thought was a very provocative email from NUFC appeared in my inbox. The club ran an in-depth poll asking how much people spend on matchdays, with incredibly precise questions such how far you travel from St James’ Park to have a pint or a snack before and after games. I switch it around during the season, so this was a little challenging, but I was concerned that the hidden question was “how much are you spending elsewhere that we could be taking away from you, especially if we trap you in a ground with no other alternative competitors?”
The O2 sprang to mind, offering you a lot of options, yet they all feed the machine in the center.
That appears to be the goal of Newcastle United’s owners, and, to be honest, they will never do so in the city core. Even if the land the Arena currently occupies was available (I believe it has been sold for housing) or if you could sort out the Leazes Park option, these are still within walking distance of the city centre’s pubs, clubs, restaurants, and services.
To truly destroy the opposition, the ground must be stand-alone, with the only options for food being the self-contained Bella Italia or Handmade Burger Co, and extensive drink options available in NUFC embossed plastic glasses from the integrated Wetherspoons or All Bar One.
The Reubens (shown above, brothers David and Simon) owned land near Gosforth Racecourse, and undeveloped sites near the airport were referenced in prior reports. I’m not going to lie, it’s quite handy for me, but I would strongly oppose it.
The beauty of St James Park is how well it portrays Newcastle United’s connection to the city.
Visitors lured to the club fall in love with the place, not only the events on the pitch, as do the more feckless international fans of Arsenal or Manchester United. For me, a successful club would have a significant impact on the city’s tourism, redevelopment, and opportunities, including for independent companies. Give me Zapatista or Meat:Stack any day over any.
Coldplay is playing at an integrated chain restaurant, which also serves free popcorn.
I’m really not sure what the best solution is.
I’m sure the Spurs stadium replica three miles out of town will be marketed as the superior option once the club decides to promote it, but I’m hoping a logical option can be found that maintains the ground in the city, with the place bustling like it does every matchday.
We’re waiting for the next developments on this, and I especially hope I don’t get the chance to say I told you so.