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Runcorn Linnets FC - The Ground Project Blog

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SteveP
Barmy Army Signals Corp.

2507 Posts

Posted - 24 Jul 2009 : 11:27:43

The information in this thread is intended to try and keep people up to date with day to day elements of the Ground Project. If you have any specific questions about the project, then please feel free to use the Contact Us facility to get in touch.

The Ground Project is in full swing, and currently we are particularly focussed on a couple of things:

Planning
We've had a couple of meetings with the planners at HBC who have assisted us to pull our planning application together, which will be submitted next week. We still have to physically fill out the forms, and draw out the plans on the OS maps, etc, but we now have about 95% of the detail that needs to be included. Once submitted, the application will go through the usual planning process, including public consultation, and permission will hopefully be granted in September.

Invitations to Tender
Alongside the planning application, we are also putting together a number of invitations to tender, and getting quotes for various aspects of the construction elements of the project. There is some cross-over between this task and the planning, e.g. the type of fencing that is found to be most cost effective might not be approved by the planning process, and vice versa.

The next steps
Once we have the quotes for the different elements of the project, then we'll be in a position to complete our application to the Football Stadium Improvement Fund (FSIF), and also know what level of grant we'll be looking for. The grants are calculated as percentages of the cost of the different elements, so the cheaper you can get something for, the less money you'll receive towards it. Until we have firm costs for these items, we don't know the size of the grant we can apply for, although we do know that it's capped at £100,000.

With regard to physical changes down at the site, obviously we can't start those proper until the planning application is granted. Discussions regarding the terms of the lease on the building are underway, and once finalised, we could start leasing the building at any point, and be able to start making the alterations and repairs that are necessary.

In preparation, the Council are re-arranging the existing pitches at Halton Sports so that there will be no disruption to teams playing there next season when our build commences. It's worth reiterating that no public pitches will be lost at Halton Sports, they are just being rearranged to accommodate our plot. Once our plot is defined, then all access to that site, and the works upon it, will have to be contained within its boundaries, and we will not be using any of the public areas, even on a temporary basis.

The deadline for the completion of the Ground is 31st March 2010, so it will be ready in time for the League's inspection. We recognise it's a tight deadline, but we feel it is an achievable one. The build phase of the project isn't likely to take that long, with the biggest job being the fencing, followed by the hard standing. Items like the floodlights, and stands don't take much time at all; the stands will be modular, and so arrive pre-built on the back of a lorry, and the floodlights are put up over the course of a week or so.

SteveP
Barmy Army Signals Corp.

2507 Posts

Posted - 26 Jul 2009 : 00:09:21

Fencing

The perimeter fence is something that's going to be a significant cost in the project, and there are a number of alternatives we've been considering for the planning application, each with their own pros and cons.

The requirements placed upon us for the exterior fence are:

It must be at least 6 feet high (FA requirement)

You must not be able to see through it (FA Requirement)

We should try and make it blend in to the surroundings as best we can, i.e. it should be green (Planning Requirement)

In addition to the requirements being placed upon us by the FA and Planners, we also have some requirements of our own:

The fence should be as climb-proof as possible

The fence should be fire retardent

We have to be able to afford it

There will be over 400 metres of external fencing, so it could easily cost well over £40,000 if we were to choose the most expensive type.

After investigating the possibilities with Palisade Fencing (metal strips with spikes on the top), and rejecting that on the basis that using a "hit & miss" style (where you alternate strips inside, then out) on the basis that it appears that it would be too costly, and it's unclear whether it would pass the FA's requirement of not being able to see through it, we are left with a couple of realistic options:

1. Concrete posts and panels. This is relatively cheap, but to make it blend in a little, we'd need to colour-wash it to take the edge off the natural stark white/grey colour. We could have it 8 feet tall, to make it harder to climb, and could add something on the top to make it even more secure. It is, however, quite a labour intensive task to put up, and we want quite a lot of it. We also have concerns over its longevity.

2. Steel fencing. Use of corrugated steel, or perhaps an infilled variation on palisade fencing is a possibility. Again we can have it 8 feet high, with anti-climb accessories on top, and it can be supplied pre-galvanised and powder coated, so there would be no painting involved. This sort of fencing is less common in the UK, and although there is an "off-the-shelf" infilled palisade fence available, it's quite expensive (over £130 per metre!). We are still liaising with suppliers to determine whether there's anything that can fulfil our requirements that's made of steel.

We are still awaiting responses from fencing contractors on their thoughts about our requirements - after all they are the experts, but in the meantime, we are most likely to specify the Concrete Posts and Panels option on the planning application, and if we change our minds later on, that can be addressed with an amendment.

SteveP
Barmy Army Signals Corp.

2507 Posts

Posted - 28 Jul 2009 : 00:17:29

Planning Application

The plans of the site have been transcribed onto scale maps for the planning application which will be handed to the Planning Dept, along with the completed planning application form, at HBC later today. There are two plans required - one which details the outline of the scheme, including access roads, car parks, etc, and the other which shows where the different elements of the scheme will be placed, e.g. fences, stands, turnstiles, etc.

SteveP
Barmy Army Signals Corp.

2507 Posts

Posted - 29 Jul 2009 : 02:31:14

Planning Application Submitted

The planning application was submitted on Tuesday. Obviously, we hope there will be no problems in getting it approved. There will need to be a public consultation period (which we believe lasts 3 weeks), and the plans will go before the authorising committee at their meeting in mid September.

Some of the key factors that the planning authority will be taking into account when considering the application, are the views of the existing users of the site, and our nearest neighbours, the Halton Arms pub. Prior to the start of this blog, the club had a meeting with representatives of the Halton Arms, and the teams that use the Halton Sports site, and we can say that they were nothing but supportive of the project, so we don't anticipate any problems there.

The Tender Process

The process of asking companies to give quotes for the different aspects of the project is well underway, and we are getting the first of the responses. We've set a deadline of the end of next week (7th August) to get those responses in, so we can then use those to prepare the detailed grant application to the FFSIF for the remainder of the funding for the project.

Thanks

Just a quick "thank you" to Ste Bignall who has offered his services as a qualified spark to take a look at the electrical requirements of the site, and offer what assistance he can. It's precisely this kind of assistance the club will need during the build phase of the project, so if anybody has a trade, or knows somebody with a trade that would be willing to help, then please let us know.

SteveP
Barmy Army Signals Corp.

2507 Posts

Posted - 01 Aug 2009 : 12:29:18

Rearranged Pitches at Halton Sports

As part of the process of preparing to accommodate our new ground, the Council have rearranged the pitches at Halton Sports, and they have been marked out this week. The layout of the pitches has been fine tuned a little since the original plans, and this means that our compound has moved around 14m North from where we originally thought it would be. This could well be quite useful for us as it means that the positions of the floodlight poles are now unlikely to be affected by the sewer that runs under the site, whereas there was a possibility we would have had to have moved the lights slightly from their default location (about 15m in from the goal line) in the original plan.

Visitors to the site will notice a large rectangle (114m x 78m) marked out with no pitch markings inside it. This is the minimum area being set aside for us, and we are hopeful that we'll be able to extend the plot to Stockham Lane on the West side, South of the entrance, to give us some extra room for expansion in the future, and potentially for use a storage area for maintenance equipment, etc.

SteveP
Barmy Army Signals Corp.

2507 Posts

Posted - 07 Aug 2009 : 10:42:52

Tenders

As mentioned in an earlier post, today is our deadline for receiving Tenders, but if we don't receive them all today, there's a possibility we'll need to extend it a little to ensure we have the requisite minimum of 3 quotes for the FSIF application that covers each element of the scheme.

Primarily the elements that are currently under tender relate to the pitch facilities, and items like fencing. There's some funding available for the clubhouse facilities (changing rooms, etc) but it's likely that we'll max-out our grant application with pitch facilities anyway.

Project Management

The club has now had a few meetings with HBC's Property Services Department and we are employing them to project manage the scheme on our behalf. Their experience and expertise will be invaluable to ensure the smooth running of the project.

It's encouraging to know that our estimates for the duration of the build were in line with the professionals' and we both agree that an 8-10 week build phase for the pitch is not unrealistic, which means that even if work didn't start until next year, it could still be finished in time for the inspection on the 31st March 2010.

The first phase of this involved a site inspection earlier this week, and as part of that we went room by room making notes of what remedial works and modifications that need to take place. Some of our plans may need to change slightly due to practical considerations, e.g. the electricity feed into the building is where we wanted to put the Away Changing Room Showers, and traditionally, electricity and water don't mix well.

The next step will be to get these items professionally costed, and the Project Manager is undertaking to do that over the next couple of weeks.

SteveP
Barmy Army Signals Corp.

2507 Posts

Posted - 12 Aug 2009 : 16:36:18

Tenders

As mentioned in the previous blog entry, the original deadline for contractors to submit tenders has passed, but we will need to extend the deadline in order to ensure that we have enough tenders to complete the FSIF funding application. Some contractors have declined to quote, and some have simply not yet replied to their invitation to tender.

We have handed over the task of obtaining the prerequisite number of tenders to our HBC Project Manager, who has much more experience in this regard, and the deadline has been extended to the end of the month. This should still give us enough time to prepare the funding application (which is performed on-line), have that approved, and for the funding to be confirmed in November.

SteveP
Barmy Army Signals Corp.

2507 Posts

Posted - 17 Aug 2009 : 17:30:23

Ground Fund Totaliser

We've taken the totaliser off the website, as it has now served its purpose. We now believe we have sufficient funding to proceed to the FSIF application stage, and combined with that, we should be able to construct the ground. That doesn't mean that we wouldn't be able to utilise more money within the project - obviously, every extra penny allows for higher quality components, or an improved facility. However, the focus of the club's fundraising efforts will now concentrate on our operational requirements.

SteveP
Barmy Army Signals Corp.

2507 Posts

Posted - 28 Aug 2009 : 18:58:12

League Visit

While representatives from the League were in the area taking a look at Runcorn Town's ground (well done to them for the progress they have made!), they came over and took a look at the Halton Sports site.

We gave them a tour of the site, and took them through the plans that we have, and overall they seemed very impressed and were keen to offer whatever assistance they could. One area where they raised a minor concern was that the walkway between the clubhouse compound and the pitch could prove to be a bottleneck because it would be shut to spectators for the time it takes players and officials to walk to/from the pitch.

One suggestion was to simply split the walkway into two, but as we'd like to keep that as open as possible for ambulance access, we've addressed the issue by updating the plans with a few more gates for spectator access as shown in the picture (the trees have been removed from the plan just to make the fences a little clearer). These amendments have been passed on to the planning department at Halton Borough Council, and we are still on target for planning permission to be granted in September.

SteveP
Barmy Army Signals Corp.

2507 Posts

Posted - 06 Sep 2009 : 12:17:52

Tenders

All of the tenders are now in, and the next step is to choose the tenders that will be presented on the FFSIF application, which will be submitted later this week. This process involves selecting not just the cheapest option, although this may be the case with a number of elements, but choosing which option we think is best for the club going forward.

Leases

This week we had our first meeting to specifically discuss the lease arrangements for the site. It took the format of a site visit from HBC, along with discussions regarding our requirements, e.g. a minimum tenure of 25 years in order to secure Football Foundation funding. Everything went very well, and the next step is for a document called a "Heads of Terms" to be drawn up by the Property Department at the Council which will outline the general principles of the lease. Once this is agreed by both parties, then it forms part of the FFSIF application, and gives the basis for the full lease to be drawn up.

As a point of interest, the club will more than likely be signing two leases; one is for the land upon which the pitch will be sited, and the other is for the clubhouse building.

SteveP
Barmy Army Signals Corp.

2507 Posts

Posted - 11 Sep 2009 : 08:39:12

Tenders

As mentioned in the previous posting, all of the Tenders were in and our next step was to select which ones we wanted to carry forward to the funding application. Rather than having each separate element performed by a different contractor who potentially get in eachother's way, we decided that appointing a main contractor to manage the site during its construction was the way we wanted to proceed. This contractor has been selected, and it means that some of the elements of the project will be carried out by them, and some by other selected contractors, but under the management of the main contractor.

We are just waiting for some costs revisions to be confirmed, and then the application to the FSIF will go in - we anticipate that the application will be made online this weekend.

Planning

Unfortunately, it looks as though a modification to our planning application caused it to miss this months approval meeting. Our original application stated that the boundary fence would be made of concrete panelling, but as the tenders came back, the general advice we were getting from contractors was that 8' concrete fencing can become unsafe as it gets older. Consequently, we put an amendment into the plan to change the fencing to steel profile fencing, and this has caused a delay in the planning approval process. We hope that approval will be granted at next month's meeting around the 12th October.

The Lease

The first draft of the Heads of Terms for the Lease for the site have come through. Contrary to what we originally expected, it looks as though both the Clubhouse and Pitch area will be covered in a single lease which simplifies things a little. The next steps are to seek clarification on a few points, suggest a couple of minor amendments, and then get it checked over by a Solicitor.

SteveP
Barmy Army Signals Corp.

2507 Posts

Posted - 16 Sep 2009 : 15:56:51

Funding Application

It's been a very busy few days for those of us dealing with the financial side of the project. We've had a number of clarifications to seek, and tweaks to perform, in order to get a final cost plan that everybody is happy with.

The grant application has now been submitted, and we need to send on all of the supporting documentation to the Football Foundation so that they can fully consider our application.

Planning

I feel I should clarify that the planning application isn't "on hold", it simply missed this month's meeting. The planning permissions are only granted at monthly meetings, and the amendment that was applied to ours apparently caused it to miss that meeting. We are still working with the planners to ensure that permission is granted at October's meeting, and are confident that there will be no further delays.

SteveP
Barmy Army Signals Corp.

2507 Posts

Posted - 07 Oct 2009 : 18:58:54

The Lease

Another meeting this week has taken place with HBC to try and firm up the terms of the lease on the pitch and building down at Halton Sports. The key issues were the boundaries, and also ensuring that access to public areas, and other council facilities, wasn't compromised by our fencing and gating.

We don't anticipate any issues on this front, it might mean that one of our gates might have an extra couple of keyholders to permit access to the changing facilities that are on the west side of Stockham lane adjoining the Beer Garden of the Halton Arms, but that's not a problem for us. We may also need to open up a wider access to the public fields at Halton Sports, as we will be fencing off the widest entrance onto the pitches, but again that's not likely to be an issue as works will already be taking place in that vacinity.

These issues are with the Corporate & Policy Department of HBC (who are dealing with the details of the lease) for them to confirm the requirements. We expect to be hearing from them in due course.

Planning Permission

The planning application is continuing to make progress, and we have had confirmation that it will be considered at the planning meeting at HBC on Monday, October 12th.

SteveP
Barmy Army Signals Corp.

2507 Posts

Posted - 12 Oct 2009 : 16:39:23

Planning

Just a reminder to let people know that the planning meeting is to take place today where we will learn whether planning permission for the new ground will be granted, or not. So far, all indications are that there should be no problem in approving the scheme, but we'll update the site as soon as we know.

Area Forum Grant

Some people may remember that we were successful when applying for an area Forum grant back when the new Ground was to be located at the Riverside Campus of Halton College. The monies granted by the local Area Forums are to improve the local area, and so we obviously had to refuse that grant when we changed location of the new Ground to Halton Sports, as it falls within a different ward. However, we have applied to our Local Area Forum for a grant, and we have received word today that our application was successful.

We have managed to secure a grant of just over £12,400 for use in the new clubhouse, which will pay for a kitchen facility, and also pay for tables, chairs, and a new floor covering for the main function room. We'd like to extend our thanks to the Norton North, Norton South, Halton Castle and Windmill Hill Forum and Beechwood and Halton Lea Forum for being so generous, and supporting our project.

SteveP
Barmy Army Signals Corp.

2507 Posts

Posted - 12 Oct 2009 : 19:30:41

Planning

Great news - the planning permission was granted this evening at the Development Control Committee meeting. This important step will now be reported through to the Football Foundation, as it is a prerequisite for a successful application to the Football Stadia Improvement Fund. We are still on track to hear the outcome of our FSIF application in early/mid December.

SteveP
Barmy Army Signals Corp.

2507 Posts

Posted - 28 Nov 2009 : 10:03:33

The Lease

Despite the fact that the blog hasn't had an entry for a number of weeks, work has been continuing to ensure that our project will be able to proceed as planned.

One of our key outstanding requirements for the FSIF funding was the Lease for the site. The FSIF need to be sure that the site will be secure, in the sense that the longevity of the lease is confirmed, before they will invest in it.

The Lease is a legal document which is based on a document called the "Heads of Terms". The Heads of Terms is where you set out the meaning of the lease is almost a bullet-point manner so that it's easier to read and take in. Despite its simple format, it's still a legal document, and consequently has a number of phrases and references that are in "legalese", and so we've been liaising with our Solicitors to ensure that our understanding is correct, and that the all parties are in agreement with the substance of the Heads of Terms. Obviously, this involves a bit of to-ing and fro-ing in order to come up with a form of words that everybody is happy with.

The tweaking of the document was completed this week in time for the revised Heads of Terms to be taken into consideration for the FSIF application process, and work is being kicked off with the legal team(s) to get the Lease proper drawn up in full, as this will be a requirement for the Football Foundation before they will release their funds to us.

We are still on track to hear the outcome of our FSIF application in early/mid December.

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