Row S

4 hours ago, the cat said:

I hope that lots of disillusioned former St holders will return to the fold. I for one still waiting for phone call  from SG regarding why I left the fold.  thank god he's gone.

My sentiments too.

15 hours ago, Charles Bannerman said:

I don’t think the Bught is even a starter here, and for one or two reasons, Cherly.

Back in 1993, INE commissioned a study which eventually led to the choice of the current stadium site, but the Bught never even figured. Agreed, the West Link has appeared since then which might appear to improve access to close to the Bught, but in terms of immediate access, the area is already a traffic nightmare, made worse by everyone trying to pile out on to Glenurquhart Road because you can no longer drive north along the riverside because of that £2.5M cycleway that nobody uses.

The other big problem with the Bught is that the land is all already committed to other purposes and - to be blunt - people aren’t going to be prepared to be dislodged simply to accommodate a football club that’s failed to run itself properly. The Bught Stadium itself would be a complete no-no since it is currently undergoing a multi-million pound upgrade as a national centre for shinty.

You mentioned sharing with the rugby club or the athletics track. Both of these are HighLife Highland facilities so any football club would simply be tenants and there would probably difficulties with advertising signage. But, more fundamentally, the rugby club doesn’t even have a stand while, although the running track has a small one, spectator areas are quite limited. Also, there is no running water at the track past the sports centre which is the only location of toilets and, with field event areas on the infield, the Queens Park isn’t actually big enough to accommodate a football pitch. And then there’s the issue that Highland RFC and Inverness Harriers both have their own fixture lists which they wouldn’t be prepared or indeed able to have disrupted, and the same goes for both clubs’ weekly training sessions which would clash with midweek football fixtures.

What the 1993 report showed was that Inverness wasn’t, even then, well provided with potential sites for a football stadium so - apart from possible greenfield areas outwith the city boundary - I don’t see that having become any better over the last 30 years of development.

What about the site of the 3G pitch at the UHI Campus that the national bodies said there was no funding for? This is a large area adjacent to the railway line and a footbridge (with future rail halt potential). There is access from both the retail park and the Campus with a future link planned near to it between Smithton and Inshes. A stadium here with a 3G pitch or even a full plastic one could serve the wider community, student population and the football club. The Council (Common Good Fund) might even contribute from the proceeds of the sale of the land at the current stadium.    

To put some perspective on the development potential (and ultimately the value) of the home and away car parks, here is an extract from the Highland Council's 2024 Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan.

Use(s): Office, Business, Industry. Area: 2 ha Developer requirements: ............... detailed masterplan to demonstrate improved public realm, improved connectivity of the blue/ green network; and that the proposed new urban environment makes a positive contribution to the area; active travel improvements to connect site with Inverness city centre, including connections to emerging projects at Inverness Harbour; redevelopment of the site must not result in a net decrease in parking provision, any compensatory parking provision must be located in close proximity to the stadium, be easily accessible and have high quality active travel connections to the stadium; .................

In terms of parking, if the stadium remains then so should the parking or it is replaced with the same level of provision (related to its capacity) as close as possible to the stadium. The development of the land for other uses would also generate the need for its own parking.

Incidentally, the Club was supposed to have increased the parking provision when the North and South stands were built in 2004/05, to correspond with the increase in the capacity of the stadium. That additional provision was to be on land over the security fence from the away car park, between the travelers site and the A9. The Club was going to lease this land from the Council but it is not clear if that ever happened. RM might know though.  

Reading all of the above makes me glad I decided to stay away again. I won't be back until Ferguson goes because he isn't showing any sign of changing the style of play.

No strikers signed then. Let's hope with all those midfielders Billy can play further up the park and take advantage of some forward passing moves. Ethan Cairns still not fit for a while yet? I still think Wallace Duffy could play up front.

Still have a major task to get things back on a better footing, but at least AS is leaving no stone unturned.

Re the development potential of land around the stadium: 

"Mr Cameron and Mr Morrison now own the lease on a potentially lucrative seven acres of land surrounding the stadium."

The final/ adopted version of the Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan does allocate the land (including the car/coach parks) for a mix of uses but is heavily caveated with various requirements, which will be a significant cost to developers to address. This includes redevelopment of the site not resulting in a net decrease in parking provision (for the stadium), any compensatory parking provision being located in close proximity to the stadium, be easily accessible and have high quality active travel connections to the stadium. Not an easy task in its own right.  

All I have read so far suggests this is one big scam.

So what is the USA connection or have I missed that somewhere?

13 hours ago, Charles Bannerman said:

So does this mean that Scot Gardiner has been banned from the directors’ box?

I can assure you it wasn't him.  

13 minutes ago, Charles Bannerman said:

“Regalia” of other clubs. Presumably that includes bowler hats, umbrellas and orange sashes?

Lol. There was an old guy in Lower E yesterday wearing a Rangers jacket.

Sorry to see him go. I thought he was the best player Dudds signed. Another keeper next?

Yet it looks like the Planning consultant employed by the club made a lot of errors with the submitted and missing documents. The difference between the name of the applicant and appellant for starters. Other Planning consultants were available but never asked.

Perhaps I missed it, but did he ever get his testimonial match?

The continuing silence from the club on the important issues continues to be deafening. I for one will not wait until early July and so will spend my money on something else.

Welcome intervention from a Jambo.

Gash awful! Thank goodness I'm playing bowls this Saturday.

5 hours ago, Jack Waddington said:

If thats the case, whats the craic with the plot to let next door to the ground, between the North Car Park and the bridge? Or is that outside of what we're in control of?

I think that might still belong to David Sutherland. 

You're quite a planning guru wilseywilsey. I was merely pointing out that the Council was quite happy to allocate a large chunk of its own abandoned golf course area (yes, holes 10 to 14 at Torvean) for development in its own IMFLDP but not allocate any of the privately owned former Fairways/Castle Heather 18 hole course for development in the same LDP. That to me is double standards. Of course there are no potential NIMBYs overlooking the Torvean land which is why it probably sailed through the consultation process un-noticed. 

In the preparation of the 2013 Ness-side and Torvean Development Brief, the Rugby Club was heavily involved in the consultation process. At the time a large area was shown for further sports pitches on that part of the Torvean golf course, partly to compensate for the loss of land at Canal Park and partly to help rugby and football facilities (the Academy at Charleston) expand in future. That all changed in the 2019 update of the Development Brief after the rugby facilities were redeveloped at Canal Park and the West Link road was completed. Thereafter the new IMFLDP merely endorsed that.        

Unfortunately, I can't attend as making my biennial pilgrimage to Rome this week. Nevertheless, I'd rather the Club Directors focused on the Planning merits of the proposal.

In the officials' report to the last South Planning Applications Committee, their remaining objection issue was the loss of locally important open space, now an abandoned golf course taken over by dog walkers. Then look at the abandoned holes of the old Torvean course, owned by the Highland Council and also taken over by dog walkers. The Council has earmarked that locally important open space for development, mostly for housing and possibly a primary school. Double standards or what? Highland Rugby Club were promised additional pitches on that land but the Council reneged. Worth raising but can we trust the Council to support a development that benefits another important City sports club?

This man has to start the game tomorrow with or without Alex Samuel. Room for Billy too in a front three. Shaw on the right wing?

3 hours ago, forresjags said:

Oh f*** what next, things are really not good for us right now.

These temporary stands must be well past their sell by date by now.

What has been forgotten is that when granted planning permission in 2004 it was only for a temporary period of 3 years. The club was supposed to have applied for more permanent stands, renew the permission or dismantle the stands before the 3 years was up. The agents told the club that when the permission was granted then again early in 2007. Not even the Council bothered to chase that one up. Technically, they are in breach of planning legislation.

2 hours ago, CaleyCiuin said:

He is prone to nose bleeds.

Is that when he gets near the opposition penalty box and should be taking a shot?

The 3-5-2 formation and tippy tappy stuff at home isn't working. We need to be more direct and less predictable. For the next few league games I'd like to see a switch to 4-3-3 with Samuel, Pepple and Mckay up front. 

Another inept performance at home. This was the same starting line up that did so well against Raith. We desperately need to overcome teams that just sit in and frustrate for 89 minutes at home. Otherwise we will battle relegation for the rest of the season.

I'd had enough by 4:25pm and headed home to watch the rugby. With next week's rugby and the Hibs game overlapping today's performance against Queens Park made my mind up which game I'll be watching, even though Scotland faltered after 47 minutes. At least they took their chances that counted by the final whistle.

2 hours ago, DoofersDad said:

I wonder if the club will open the North stand for this one? 

If not, they won't be getting my money.

A decent draw for us though, especially after how close Forfar ran them yesterday. Perhaps we could contribute to the departure of yet another H#bs manager.

The Green Freeport Tax Site only covers the stadium car parks and adjoining land to the North and South. The club doesn't own any of this land. Unless a secret deal has been done recently, the car parks are leased by Tullochs from The Inverness Common Good. So I'm finding it hard to see the benefit to the club. If anything, the loss of that land to development will see the stadium deprived of parking and the club hugely disadvantaged as a result.

It was not so long ago that the Council was prepared to ignore its policy for open space protection to allow roads to be built (1) from the SDR Eagle roundabout into Drakies and (2) to wipe out a well established equipped play area on the long established Drakies buffer land to serve a spurious housing site south of the Police HQ. 

The large green shed shown in the photo in committee this morning is not a green keepers' shed. It is the Inverness Kart Raceway building, which was also built on the Fairways open space.