Paul Conway Update from Oakwell: BFCST Post

Yeah that does set the cat amongst the pigeons as that would mean that the Council and the Cryne's would have to foot the bill for ground improvements.

 

The club leases it. It still has until 2028.

Under terms of the lease, the club maintain it as far as I'm aware.

 

Yep it was on here @Darfield138 paid for the land registry and it showed a 2nd claim

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/to...&share_fid=60198&share_type=t&link_source=app

 

But at some point, maintenance becomes renovation. The West Stand needs more than maintenance, it needs an overhaul. Not sure what the deal is with the North stand that stops us being able to sell tickets to home fans (when there are enough stewards), but that might be something else that needs sorting. I don't know what else the owners have proposed, but the fact that there are acres of space behind the Ponty, while fans cram into the concourse like sardines might be worth addressing as well.

The danger is that when the lease runs out, the value of the ground is all sentimental.

 

Totally forgot about that thread

 

That's a good point. If Conway and co are still at the helm they could take "their product elsewhere". That said they'd have the Council over a barrel. Does what the land can be used for end with the lease too?

 

They can't buy it until the 3rd party issue is resolved and that's out of there hands.

 

Red All Over have posted Part 1 of it - part 2 tonight

 

Despite how it sounds, this actually isn't a criticism of the owners.

But I wonder if Patrick Cryne was more willing to accept the risk due to his connection to the club? It makes sense that people with no prior connection to the town would want to ensure their investment is secure.

 

I know absolutely nothing about this issue, but I am happy to comment because it is clear that I have company.

As I understand it, restrictive covenants are often begun because the seller wants to ensure that the land is always used for the purpose for which it was originally sold. It was sold for the purpose of playing sport.

Our owners are businessmen in a way that no previous owner was. They trade in the hope of trading up. If they acquired the land upon which the ground stands, and there were no restrictive covenants, then the land can be sold later for more than you bought it for. Now I am going to assume that there is nothing suspect about their motives for doing so, that they want the best for the football club, even though in their opinion, the best does not always correspond with every fan's opinion of what is best for the club. They may have looked at the land that is so close to the town centre, and they may have thought that the land has a greater value if it was sold off for redevelopment and we could then reinvest the proceeds in a new ground for the football club.

I am not one of those who thinks that it is set in stone that we will always play on Oakwell. I would not mind too much if the club moved elsewhere, provided it represented a good investment, and the facilities were improved. To say that nothing must ever change seems to me to be extraordinarily restrictive. However, If there is a covenant that states that the land can only be used for sporting activities, that scenario is out of the question. If our owners cannot trade the land, then what is the point of them acquiring it. They may as well lease the stadium from the current owners. Of course, it is hard to see in those circumstances how the west stand gets redeveloped. It means that the current owners will have to find the money from somewhere, and even though their income increases with the consequent increase in leasing charges, it is a very long payback on their investment.

 

If the land is worth "top dollar" how come adjacent land hasn't been developed yet ( ie Grove St school site and the brewery site), and indeed their own car park?

 

That just placates my argument that the owners intentions are honourable.

 

I know the guy who owns the old school land and he's only hanging on to it because he knows the club will eventually need to buy it.

 

That settles that. Cheers

 

He may have a long wait judging by the current state of affairs

 

he'll be snookered if they built a new ground near Wakefield then!

 

Why do they have to buy it?