I'd want to do the exact opposite of the OP. In terms of the stadium, I was speaking to a chap at Accrington away, who was a neutral supporter, attending one of the last few grounds he needed to complete the 92. He said we were lucky to have a number of great grounds in close proximity in Yorkshire - Elland Rd, Oakwell, Hillsborough and Bramall Lane, he described as some of the few grounds who have modernised but retained their character. I think a new West Stand sympathetically designed to the ends would be just fine. The one thing I would change if it were possible is the location. Walkable from the town centre is a must for the local economy but the road links and thus congestion pre and post match, are dreadful and lacking scope for improvement.
I think the 3 rebuilt stands are absolutely fine, I'm sure any developments to the internal facilities, if required, are well within the scope of a good architect and developer and could be accommodated. It'd be nice to see the corners filled in, but there would have to be at least one corner left open, or "tunnelled" under to allow vehicle access to the pitch - groudnstaff, emergency vehicles etc. The West Stand, and I say with a heavy heart, has had its time. I completely get the historical ties and the iconic value, but as someone who has never sat in there, it doesn't carry the same personal attachment. I was just as gutted about the Ponty End Terracing being demolished, as that was my historical part of the ground, but the new stand was a huge leap forward. I know we've had threads about this in the past, but a stand similar to the newest one at Preston, with whatever facilities under/behind it as the club sees fit, would be my suggestion. The OP shows what could be done, and some lateral thinking, but I'd retain 3/4 of what we already have and redevelop a new West Stand.
The Hawthorns is a great looking ground. That way of filling the corners in using cladding works really well, and it's something I think we should look at, especially where the North Stand meets the East Stand. It's quite a nice view over the countryside, but I'm not really a fan of such gaping holes between stands. It really doesn't do much for the atmosphere. I'm also coming round to the opinion that the West Stand has had its time. I love it, it's where I sat for my first match in 1987, and I still sit in the lower tier when the weather is good. However if half of it is unusable, it's already looking less than viable to keep it. I'd like to see a single tiered stand with a nod to the original design. Something like the John Street Stand at Bramall Lane, or a more modern version of the Jimmy Sirrell stand at Meadow Lane would work well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bramall_Lane#/media/File:John_Street_Stand.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meadow_Lane#/media/File:MeadowLane2.jpg
Leave the three modern stands. Take the seating out of the bottom of the West Stand and replace with standing (this is coming back - just a matter of time) and redevelop the top of the West Stand a la Wednesday’s main stand.
The west stand needs doing but to make it bigger..... honestly... we couldnt fill it. Not feasible ... council wont budge on it anyway so original idea would be great vespy. Or dalestyke.. good idea.
