QPR chief executive Phil Beard admits a move to the clubâs new training ground is behind schedule. Rangers had hoped to move to a new state-of-the-art elite training facility at Warren Farm on a 63-acre site by July next year. But last night the CEO revealed significant improvements to the current training set-up at Harlington has reined in the urgency. The club is the preferred bidder to a 200-year lease on the land on Windmill Lane that borders Southall and Osterley, subject to planning permission, but it could be 2014 before they set up shop there. Beard*told the Chronicle: "Iâve slightly changed my opinion now [about the timescale]. "Weâve made significant changes to Harlington and by doing that thereâs less of an urgency to get out. "I donât think it can still be seen as a Premier League training facility, so the plan is still to get Warren Farm up and running as fast as possible and the community project as well. "But I donât think thereâs this urgency to get in there even if we havenât finished because Harlington is in a position now where Mark [Hughes] feels it delivers what he needs. "However, for the medium to long term weâve got to move to the new facilities as soon as possible. We need to get it absolutely right." QPR are in the process of submitting initial plans to Ealing Council, which include a covered dome and an outdoor 3G artificial pitch. And Beard believes the project will take around a year to build once they are given the green light by the authorities. "Weâre working very closely with the council to make sure we deliver on what we promised on the community side," added Beard, who helped spearhead the successful bid for the London 2012 Olympics. "I would rather we get it absolutely right than try to move as quickly as possible then realise itâs not how we want it. "I donât want to find ourselves opening our new training ground and then people regretting we didnât spend more time on it. "The key to it is to get it right for the first-team and the academy as well." http://www.ealinggazette.co.uk/sport/qpr-ealing/2012/07/20/64767-31432025/
QUOTE QPR chief executive Phil Beard admits a move to the clubâs new training ground is behind schedule. Rangers had hoped to move to a new state-of-the-art elite training facility at Warren Farm on a 63-acre site by July next year. But last night the CEO revealed significant improvements to the current training set-up at Harlington has reined in the urgency. The club is the preferred bidder to a 200-year lease on the land on Windmill Lane that borders Southall and Osterley, subject to planning permission, but it could be 2014 before they set up shop there. Beard told the Chronicle: "Iâve slightly changed my opinion now [about the timescale]. "Weâve made significant changes to Harlington and by doing that thereâs less of an urgency to get out. "I donât think it can still be seen as a Premier League training facility, so the plan is still to get Warren Farm up and running as fast as possible and the community project as well. "But I donât think thereâs this urgency to get in there even if we havenât finished because Harlington is in a position now where Mark [Hughes] feels it delivers what he needs. "However, for the medium to long term weâve got to move to the new facilities as soon as possible. We need to get it absolutely right." QPR are in the process of submitting initial plans to Ealing Council, which include a covered dome and an outdoor 3G artificial pitch. And Beard believes the project will take around a year to build once they are given the green light by the authorities. "Weâre working very closely with the council to make sure we deliver on what we promised on the community side," added Beard, who helped spearhead the successful bid for the London 2012 Olympics. "I would rather we get it absolutely right than try to move as quickly as possible then realise itâs not how we want it. "I donât want to find ourselves opening our new training ground and then people regretting we didnât spend more time on it. "The key to it is to get it right for the first-team and the academy as well." UNQUOTE Sounds fair enough to me. Get it right for the long term.
Not sure I like the bit about not training in PL facilities but it's OK. I also think we can't underestimate the importance of gaining academy status ASAP. It does sound like it's still a priority and I trust the guys in charge though.
Planning permission isnt guaranteed. They havent done themselves any favours by putting the dome in there now despite the advice they were given. Southall councillors would much rather give it to their mates who want to build what is effectively a wedding centre so they can all line their pockets. If we're not careful we will lose this site Personally I dont think Beard should be poncing around Malaysia talking to school kids. He should be back here keeping an eye on progress of training ground and securing a site for new ground
Hmm, slightly worrying as potential for egg on face here having fanfared this new facility which, presumably, played some part in attracting the new players here too? I guess we just have to trust The Board.
Ealing Council have decided in an urgent agenda item at a council cabinet meeting in December 2011 to approve the marketing of a maximum 200 year lease of the site. The decision has passed scrutiny after concerns were raised about the unusual length of the lease. Bidders have been sought in response to a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire. A short list was selected and bidders have responded to a Request For Proposal (RFP) issued by Ealing Council. A decision on the successful partner was announced on 14th May 2012 and QPR Football Club have been selected as the preferred partner. Community consultation concerning the plans will now take place ahead of final plans being submiited. The current action timetable is shown to the left, although recent information from the Council indicates that a different, unpublished, timetable is being followed. please log in to view this image The intention as indicated by Ealing Council in their Pre-Qualification Questionaire is to dispose of the Warren Farm Sports Centre by a long lease of up to 200 years to an organisation with the ability to rebuild high quality sporting facilities which are also accessible for community use at an affordable cost. The selected partner must be able to deliver a scheme that is acceptable in an area of Metropolitan Open Land and demonstrates the ability to provide sport and leisure facilities for the benefit of the community as a whole. http://www.wfig.org.uk/
Sorry Northolt but there is more to it than this. Yes we are a preferred bidder but trust me the Southall based councillors look after their own. Ealing Council have always wanted to give it to us as they knew it was the better option and they knew the real reason that wasn’t being openly discussed for the Southall Club option was that it is really only a wedding centre. In that location and with the size of Indian weddings that is a gold mine. The advice Beard and Kevin Gallens brother in law (who is managing the plans) were given was that they should keep the plans to a smaller size as they originally suggested and upgrades can follow later but like you they have taken the preferred bidder as a green light and gone and increased the size of the plans and thrown in the whopping great big dome. This may be a massive mistake as it will give the Asian labour councillors an excuse to turn it down and give it to the Southall football club bid, which has the backing of the likes of Sachin Tendulkar. My worry isn’t directly about not getting the training ground it is more a concern for how the players who have signed on the understanding this was a done deal will react and this will also harm our chances and trust with future prospects.
