In light of recent interviews and statements, which not all County fans can access, I felt I would just expand a little on the Booth Street situation and include, in this statement, everything that I have covered in the interviews.
The Booth Street initiative has been in our minds for well over a year and the groundwork began about eight months ago.
For a long time those associated with Edgeley Park had ambitions for Booth Street in relation to significant development of the stadium, and various 'grand plans' became public.
I felt from very early on that this was a Red Herring, whilst 6,000 seat stands with Hotels and Conference facilities on the Railway End sound great, they are not realistic in the context of the football club and in our opinion any development of that end of the ground, whilst increasing capacity, should be proportional to the demand for seats.
I concluded that Booth Street should be treated as a separate opportunity altogether.
Before buying the club we realised that the biggest problem we faced off the pitch was the fact that we had no tangible assets and no income other than football related, and if we are were to establish ourselves as a fully independent, professional business with the ability to attract a bank facility for future development plans, then this needed to be addressed.
The idea therefore came about that if we could find a business partner whom we could bring on board for the Booth Street project we could make an offer to buy the land, giving us an asset and work towards the development of the land, the profit from which will flow through to the Football Club.
Over many months we managed to secure that relationship whilst at the same time communicating with the council in significant detail to establish their preferred use of the land.
Our business partner is a credible developer, The developer and we have created a partnership in which the developer will provide all the capital required for the project, for the initial acquisition of the land, the planning and building of the suggested development.
He will use his expertise to ensure that the development of Booth Street meets the Council's aspirations, and is a credit to the people of Stockport and to the football club. Because he is convinced about the viability of the scheme, and shares the community vision of Stockport County, the relationship will lead to profits from the development accruing to the benefit of the football club.
It’s safe to say that, if successful, our bid would result in a period of detailed consultation with the council to finalise plans which would include housing, affordable housing and some form of community orientated sports activity.
We are aware of the benefits of Sale being in Stockport from Stockport MBC’s perspective and in regard to the cost of running Edgeley Park, and in that respect our stance is one of co-operation, and planning for the long term. However its equally important that we put the football club in a position to discuss the future of Edgeley Park from a position of strength financially, rather than the current base where we are without assets.
Should the Council accept our proposal, it would be a huge step towards guaranteeing the long term future of the club, and so it would be fair to say that we’d love all help in encouraging the Council, who have been extremely helpful to date, to make a decision in our favour. But we feel very strongly that the tone of this encouragement should be positive!
It’s a stepping stone towards our ultimate aim, of which everyone is aware, and I’m sure there are many more questions that remain to be asked, and when appropriate we will answer them.
In the meantime we’ve submitted a substantial financial bid, credible plans, and inclusive suggestions - here’s hoping they are accepted.
Mark Maguire
21st September 2006
If you care to take a look at the Council’s Planning Brief for the area, you can find it here.