Barnsley Council and the Club.

I think a word to Steve Houghton may be in order. He’s a season ticket holder and a true fan so he should get this.
It is imperative that BMBC do not sell their stake in the Stadium to these owners. Not just these owners - any owners, no matter who they are or where they come from.
The community/supporters need to have a stake in the Club beyond what is in their hearts or soul - Owners tend not to care or give any weight to those things. The stake does need to be in bricks and mortar. The ground in the ownership of the Local Authority provides that.
If discussions are on going with the owners over a sale of the ground, could I suggest they are stopped. Asset stripping on the pitch is one thing, but if it takes place off the pitch as well, we are truly stuffed.

 

Do you think they know (BMBC) know this and this is the reason why nothing has changed in relation to the stadium/land ownership??

Just a thought.

 

Well if that’s the case - all credit to them. I’d suggest they might consider going further and CPO ing the part of the Stadium that the owners still have. Then go really radical and include a Council and a Fan rep on the Board.

 

Good point - my thinking too. Perhaps they have read the runes in the Town Hall and doubt why these owners are here at this point in time.

 

Does anybody trust Barnsley council to do anything in the public/supporters’s favour because I wouldn’t

 

Well they might have done this time!! The land at Oakwell/ Pontefract Road/ Harborough Hills is very valuable given its position. It has the ability to destroy the town centre in a Rotherham/ Parkgate way, if it isn't developed sympathetically, with the right intentions and masterplan.

 

Just have a look on Google earth btw!!

Who owns the Brewery site at the moment?

Also have you noticed that the old Grove Street school has yet to be redeveloped?

Might only be a decent conspiracy theory, but you never know!!

 

A long time ago, I worked on a project that would have redeveloped the land I have mentioned. The clubs land was involved, but not the stadium. It was known as the Oakwell Project.

A link road was planned to open up the site for housing and retail. The proposed road ran from Harborough Hills to the Old Barnsley Brewery site.

We lost the CPO against the Brewery site owners and the project was shelved.

Halifax Estates, BFC, BMBC and Peel Property were all involved, but the Brewery owners were a mystery.

The land is valuable, property developers are greedy. Enough said!!

 

All sir steve wanted to do with oakwell was build houses on car park, that can't be right

 

They took a 50% share to protect the club from the type of predators that have blighted other clubs. I, for one, am grateful.

 

Indeed that is correct and to protect the town centre from a Parkgate type development on its doorstep.

 

Was this done in conjunction with Patrick or did it happen when P Turd Oil took charge? Had a feeling it was Patrick’s idea to protect the club, but maybe not

 

It was done as part of Cryne’s takeover. I’m sure he was behind it, but credit the council for supporting it. Whatever one thinks of the council, it is aware that the club is about the only thing that gives the town national exposure. And is therefore too important to be sacrificed for the sake of personal gain.

 

Great idea. What's to stop them though building us a brand new stadium to play in somewhere else and Oakwell becoming redundant and decaying away like when Rotherham moved grounds?

 

Aaaah tivolis, fantastic

 

I'd hazard a guess that Meadowhell destroyed Rovrum Town Centre, not Parkgate.

 

A good article showing the state of the ground this year........

https://groundhoppers.blog/2019/05/30/memories-of-millmoor/

That could happen to Oakwell if the owners don't get there way of buying Oakwell. Build a new ground somewhere else in Barnsley that they have full control over. Then what happens to Oakwell? We'd have a stadium decaying in the same way unused, which would be sad.

 

That would entail the owners actually spending money, and considerable co-operation from the council over planning and access etc.

I don't think they could do it as easily as what happened with Rotherham... especially as the council has a stake in the ground.

 

My understanding is that the sticking point is not the land where the old brewery stood but a plot that is adjacent to it which is owned by Sam Smith's brewery in Tadcaster. It was probably purchased many years ago when John Smith's owned Barnsley Brewery and was more than likely an attempt to prevent John Smith's expanding operations on the Oakwell site. Sam Smith's are something of an enigma, when the bridge collapsed in Taddy they refused permission for a temporary bridge to be built as it would have required access to their land. I say this because I understand that it was they who refused to sell the land to enable the project you referred to. This despite the fact that brewing operations had ceased on the old brewery site.