Mem redevelopment - Mr Carstairs

I presume "building a new stadium" means developing the old stadium?

I think he primarily just objects to planning permission applications, but I could be wrong.

Yup!

Why Stadium Deal Was So Wrong By Nick Rippington

Why Stadium Deal Was So Wrong By Nick Rippington
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BRISTOL ROVERS dodged a bullet when they pulled out of the deal for a new stadium.

The more I learn, the more I believe the club could have been fatally compromised by agreeing to the terms that University trustees were demanding for a joint venture on their land near Frenchay.
Everything, I believe, was stacked in the University`s favour.
And while many Rovers fans were under the impression we were getting our very own purpose-built stadium, the way I understand it the arrangement would have been little different from when we rented Eastville from the Greyhound Company.

In fact, if just a few things had gone wrong there was a good possibility that we would have been dumped out on our ear with no alternative home to go to, having already offloaded the Mem.
The sticking points on which the University wouldn`t budge included things like security for games and revenue from external events like Conferences, concerts and even car parking. It was imperative to the club that they would have control over these things if they were to develop from ragbag Rovers to a self-sustaining football force.
If anything, rather than blame the board for another so-called 'failure`, we should be glad they were looking out for our long-term interests rather than being swayed by a short-term rise in popularity.
It`s an interesting paradox, because while the previous owners had been Rovers supporters long before the Al-Qadi family had even HEARD of the club, it seems glaringly obvious to me that the old regime were prepared to gamble our entire future in a bid to regain some kudos with fans.

The more I look at it, the more I think the Sainsbury`s decision to pull out of the Mem deal was a blessing in disguise.
Scrutinise the decisions Nick Higgs and Co made towards the end of their reign and you have a roadmap which could only have led to catastrophe.

I recall writing a blog for the Bristol Post after we dropped out of the Football League saying that I felt alienated from the club I had followed for nearly 40 years.
The more our stock fell on the pitch, the more a wedge was driven between those in Box One and those spending their hard-earned cash to watch pitiful fayre on the pitch.

Rather than erect a new stadium, day by day they built a wall between themselves and the fans. Life-long supporters who didn`t share their views were barred, a popular fans online forum was shut down and the deafening demand for answers was ignored.
When the Sainsbury`s decision came through, they were even prepared to risk everything and take out a high-interest loan - like the type you see advertised on daytime TV - to continue a fight that many felt had already been lost.

Darrell Clarke, who I admit I criticised early in his reign, helped reignite my love affair with Rovers by guiding us back into the Football League but that might have been a short-term fix had the ownership not changed.

For Darrell, at least, we can thank Mr Higgs - and there is one more significant thing, too. Like other owners who have fled sinking ships, he could have sold us to the first cash-waving charlatan that came along. Instead he handed over to owners many have come to trust and respect.

If anyone doubts the Al-Qadi family have given us our Rovers back, look at this weekend as a case in point.
As I stood on the Northampton terraces overcome with emotion as we rattled in our sixth goal I looked a few feet to my right to see our president Wael Al-Qadi dancing a merry jig.
He could have quite easily been with his chairman in the directors` box but chose instead to share the moment with fans on the terraces.
Later, he caught the train back to London, not in first class but with those same supporters, happily discussing the match and his long-term plans.

Anyone witnessing that would find it hard to question his commitment to the club and his desire to take it in the right direction.
The new owners are pragmatists, not dreamers... and for that I am grateful.
For while dreams take centre stage when we belt out Goodnight Irene, sometimes it`s nice to wake up to a healthy dose of reality.

Nick Rippington is a national newspaper journalist based in London. He is also award-winning author of UK gangland fiction thrillers Crossing The Whitewash and Spark Out


Read more: www.bristolrovers.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=507964#ixzz4vEYjV9wP

The reality is that until the owners actually deliver a championship standard ground and a high quality training facility they havnt really achieved much.
The team and the manager have delivered but as yet the owners have not imo.

We should avoid whistles after the Marcus Browning incident.

Thats a big subject though isnt it?
To get the ground and training facility not to mention the category 2 academy status mentioned by the owner or owners son would surely involve big losses in the medium term?
it would have to be future sustainability and massive increase in the value of the club in the future as the long term aim in my view.

Have to disagree. You can’t say the team on the pitch is nothing to do with the owners. Of course it’s more to do with DC and the players but tbh the owners provide the finance for the new signings, the background staff and medical staff who seem to be keeping everyone more or less fit and for the loan signings to increase competition. And if it was going wrong on the pitch then people would soon be complaining about the owners not investing etc. etc. To pretend what goes on on the field is nothing to do with the owners is ridiculous. Of course the new ground and training facility are very important but it’s good to see the other stuff happening as well.
When you say “the reality is....” I think you’re wrong because that may not happen for another 3/4 years and I certainly don’t intend to wait until we have a new ground before enjoying what is happening or thinking that they haven’t “achieved much.” We know DC or the manager gets most of the praise for on -field stuff but I know the conditions provided by the owners helps achieve that.
UTG!

Nobody has any agenda against the family as far as I'm aware, but there are questions around why UWE didn't happen and the charge on the stadium. If this stuff here is why UWE didn't happen then we have another question, why was Plan B not given more thought at an earlier date?

On the plus side, they are doing what we always failed to do in the past, get people like Carstairs inside of the tent, find out what they want, try to give something to them and incorporate their views into the new plans, planning doesn't have to be 100% adversarial.