We now hear that the Thomas Heatherwick proposals for redesigning the Riverside won't land on Mr Khan's desk until August, which seems at odds with the planning application deadline date of 3rd July (if the Club haven't put a stake in the ground by that date the permissions lapse). But is there a contention? At a meeting with the Fulham Supporters Trust last Tuesday (said meeting was postponed from earlier in the month because Khan was over doing his 'end of term review') Ali Mac said, "Towards the end of the season it was decided to have a peer review on the current plans to make sure it was/is the right design for the club and the ground going forward" , adding that "Mr Khan loves Craven Cottage and wants to make sure that any development of it is right in all areas". And, supporting the recent appointment of the new Chief Revenue Officer, he stated that "we would start to see more marketing of Craven Cottage as a venue, with regards more internationals possibly being held and as a corporate location. It’s a unique ground and as such should be viewed that way." "The club is in full consultation with Heatherwick Studios throughout this process, and involves discussing both the match day requirements and non-match day possibilities that a new stand could provide. Part of the brief is to ascertain what would be possible by staying within the footprint of the current plans." Mackintosh went on to explain,"If any changes Heatherwick Studios suggest require a full planning application, then the Club will have to decide if they wish to submit an application. This, of course, will take time. While the existing design is planned to be built while the stadium is in use that would not necessarily be the case if an alternative design was favoured." Whatever, the outcome there will be no major works taking place this year. But what about that critical 3rd July date? Mackintosh claimed that, "the Club will still be undertaking pre-commencement works to maintain the validity of the current planning permission. Indeed", he said "some work such as trees being removed and some riverbank work had started already." From all this it's reasonable to conclude that Mr Khan remains committed to the Riverside Development but with a distinct lack of success on the pitch has decided that he has time on his side. Therefore it seems he's taken a step back and decided, rather than routinely adopting the MAF design, he would now do his own thing. And he does have a track record of exactly that with the Jacksonville lot. His motivation seems to be to make this an iconic development, such that it will generate revenue outside of football. Some part of me still sets on the fence though. The real evidence of Mr Khan's intentions will be seen on 3rd July - not by any "pre-commencement" work but by money! Prior to then the Club must lodge various amounts with the Local Authority as part of the planning conditions (the post a couple of above lists some of the payments we need to make).
Which ever way they try to coat it, we've been Lied to for the last 3 seasons about the eminent building of the Stand. They have wasted time and effort in backing tracking to point of saying we might want to change the plans at the 11th Hour. The Management at this club are a bunch of Liars, and will say that to Khans face if ever I meet him. I don't trust him, Rigg or MacKintosh who have been the main culprits in telling us BS at every opportunity. They have had ample opportunity to have had this project finished.
Untill proven otherwise I have over his actions thought this guy devious. But no doubt there will be postees who still thinks the sun shines out of his a..e
There is planning in to expand the stand size, having purchased part of the Thames. http://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2016/6/15/11930908/latest-on-the-riverside-stand
Yeah, saw this 2whites. The stuff from the local paper that the blogger quotes is old news however; purchasing 'a bit of the Thames' happened some time ago and one of the stumbling block 'pre-commencement' issues (getting Port of London Authority approval) was cleared last December. The bottom line remains whether before 3rd July some sort of work starts and Mr Khan stumps up the advance money as part of the planning conditions.
Deadline day was 3rd July and it appears that the Club has indeed kept the pot boiling. H&F Council have confirmed some sort of activity - http://public-access.lbhf.gov.uk/online-applications/simpleSearchResults.do?action=firstPage I think we applied for a certificate of legal use that says work (in compliance with planning requirements) started on time. Not entirely sure what the work was but it seems as though Buckingham Construction (who were always understood to have got the contract although a full contract has yet to be signed) notified the Council that digging into a bit of ground under the Riverside had commenced. There's silence on whether the Club paid the advance money to H&F for the bits and bobs to improve Bishops Park but it's reasonable to assume they did so. Otherwise why look to get the certification? Next stage is the Heatherwick Study Report in August and hold our breath to see whether his proposals jeopordise the already approved planning consent.
I've given up on anything that Khan says or is involved in as being the truth or has a resemblance of ever being implemented.
While we hold our breath waiting on the Hetherwick report, it's mixed fortunes for others close by. I mention this here because of the potential impact on our 'floating' fanbase. AFC Wimbledon The new Mayor of London has reversed BoJo's earlier decision and it looks odds on that they will be back at Plough Lane by 2018. Full story: http://www.standard.co.uk/news/lond...imbledons-return-to-plough-lane-a3305616.html QPR Have been accused of misleading its fans with inaccurate statements over the future building of a new stadium. Cargiant, which owns land that the Championship side want to build its new ground on, has published a letter criticising the actions of the club. Full story: http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news...ew-ground-blow-11667682#ICID=sharebar_twitter
For the first time in many a day I bought yesterday's match programme simply because of the advance announcement by the Club that Shad Khan would be making a statement about the Riverside Development. What he said was: "Off the pitch, we continue to consider options for the Riverside Stand that will meet our high and essential standards. It bears repeating that we're not merely looking into a renovation or remodelling of the Riverside Stand. That wouldn't come close to achieving the ultimate outcome, which would be a beautiful structure on the banks of the River Thames that would serve the needs of Fulham Football Club and our neighbourhood for generations to come. We'll certainly be in touch with you when the time is right to share any news on this front." Not sure why I bothered. Apart from giving zilch hard information, especially on a commited start date, Mr Khan's statement only adds to the speculation. Does "not merely" mean encompassing the Putney and Hammy ends? There are undoubtedly many different interpretations and/or variations which could be given on what he actually means. The only thing we do know - and have done for some time - is that the Heatherwick proposals are not due until the end of this month. So, my main point of confusion is why did Mr Khan not wait until our next home game on 10th September instead of putting out a non-statement now? Just as a reminder here's a link to the blurb issued by the Club issued when appointing Heatherwick: http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2016/april/25/heatherwick-studio-appointed
The Club received a Certificate of Lawfulness of Proposed Use for Riverside Stand (Development) from H&F at the end of last week. The planning permissions can't now expire - unless of course Heatherwick comes up with something radical and Mr Khan tears up the original drawings! As noted in the post above Heatherwick and his report are due by tomorrow. Doubt if we'll get any feedback for some time however.
