Harriers Chatter

Interesting to know the new stadium plans are on the agenda.

If the ground move is back on the agenda why has there been no press release from the club?

This would probably explain why there’s been no update on any kind of lease extension on Aggborough.

It's likely the ground move was never removed from the agenda, but information / updates just not shared publicly (perhaps for commercially sensitive reasons)

You are probably correct on that Mayo.

I just find it a little concerning that our current lease continues to drift down towards the 20 year marker seemingly unnoticed.

In normal business terms a tenant with the protection of a long lease would be recompensed in greater terms should a landlord wish for them to vacate so it makes no sense why the club are not attempting to carry out some kind of commercial lease extension.

Would this be the Stourport Road site?

The list of questions for the owner at the next fan's forum grows ever longer..............

Mayo wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 26, 2024 8:00 am

It's likely the ground move was never removed from the agenda, but information / updates just not shared publicly (perhaps for commercially sensitive reasons)

That’s probably right.

What do we know for sure?

1. The lease is running out.
2. This country needs to build a lot more houses.
3. Aggborough and the surrounding land that WFDC
owns would be worth a lot of money if sold for housing.
4. All local authorities in the UK have been underfunded for years and are desperate for money to continue to provide the services they have a statutory obligation to undertake.

All of the above suggests that WFDC should at least be considering the possibility of cashing in on Aggborough, using some of the proceeds to build us a dull new stadium out of town, and using the rest of the proceeds to help keep providing much needed services to local residents.

It would break my heart to see the above happen. But I can see, in the current climate, how and why it might happen.

I understand that our previous owner engaged Planning Consultants to try and have a new stadium incorporated into the last WFDC Local Plan but that the proposal fell outside the deadline imposed for submissions so was not included. I could understand the desire to build a new stadium if the current one could not accommodate the crowds for each game but the truth is we rarely achieve even 50% of the grounds capacity and that is with the recent boost in crowd numbers.

Don’t see the requirement of us getting a new ground at all. Unless there is a massive financial benefit. Money does talk-loudly.
That aside we have a ground good enough for EFL, big enough and in touching distance to town, railway and local amenities. Don’t see the point being in the middle of no where without any of the above mentioned benefits, where a lot of new grounds seem to end up being.

The current stadium has a sporting restrictive covenant on it that the council will need to remove if they want to sell it for housing.
Any plan to remove this covenant could spark groups like KHIST into action in organising a few independent 'pro-Harriers' council candidates in vital marginal wards at the next local elections.
None of the 3 main parties would risk losing support or representation like they did with Health Concern.

I assume the present stadium suitability, capacity or otherwise, would not override the monetary gain for the council, non football supporters in the town would expect this position.

I wonder whether local residents would welcome re siting of the ground away from them & therefore local councillors all being in favour of the move. No potential fan trouble compared to a quiet estate, could be appealing.

Comparison with Health Concern isn`t really accurate as the whole town had just one clear view.

As one of the posts above say, lot of new grounds end up in the middle of nowhere. The longer this drags on, the worse the situation becomes.

garthrockett wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 27, 2024 1:56 pm

The current stadium has a sporting restrictive covenant on it that the council will need to remove if they want to sell it for housing.
Any plan to remove this covenant could spark groups like KHIST into action in organising a few independent 'pro-Harriers' council candidates in vital marginal wards at the next local elections.
None of the 3 main parties would risk losing support or representation like they did with Health Concern.

At least 7 years ago a comms agency I had some dealings with was looking at it on behalf of a developer.

The Hawthorn's has recently been listed as an asset of community value meaning if sold there is a community right to bid. Surely KHIST could do this here? Obviously if the council refuse it that might suggest their wider intentions?

A move to the Stourport Road would be a retrograde step that would set the club back decades...unless we were established in the Football League.

Until then (And partially including then) it would be madness.

Anyone going into negotiations regarding something like a lease would do well to go in there with other options available, weaponising the ability to walk away if terms are not favourable and go it alone on our own site.

Meanwhile the Aggborough site for housing would for the council be a chain around thier necks before a penny is made. As Garth points out, there would be political resistance and the covenant would require some impressive legal hoop jumping, likley a replacement equivalent sports facility on an equal parcel of land providing an equal footfall and usage as Aggboroug, good luck with that WFDC.

At present wyre forest council charge ourselves around £12,000 a year in rent for Aggy - which is dirt cheap.

We have a stadium that is on the tip of the town centre and a goal kick away from the train station.
It is football league standard and requires no major improvements to comply with any legislation.

Why move to an area with poorer transport links and to a stadium that will probably be a soulless meccano set and offer no greater capacity than Aggy at 6,000.

Last time i spoke with a Khist member, they said they had asked the question on the lease repeatedly and had never had so much as a reply back from KHFC.