She's in a sorry state

[Three of Diamonds]

How would you give it a downgrade though? I don't think a new build would cost that much compared to how much it would cost to change and then run NP, plus I think going back to NP would be such a backwards step for the new club.

With that kind of money at our disposal, we could do it however we liked! ;) The priorities with any ground would have to be sustainability and affordability. We could install solar, wind, rain water collection and ground source heating/ cooling systems onto a site that is ready to be a football ground again. We could knock down any stands we don't like and build it our way. Wherever we go we must be innovative and leaders in the way we do it for the future generations of R & D supporters. The ideal site is a field at the top end of John Clark Way (Higham side), but I'd be happy to move our community sides to Nene Park.

[sussexdiamond]

If we were to purchase our own site not only could we have 3G we could also make the whole area eco friendly like Forest Green Rovers, maybe their cranky veggie chairman would advise us.
Of course the beefburgers would have to go!!!

[Bob's Bitch]

If we were to purchase our own site not only could we have 3G we could also make the whole area eco friendly like Forest Green Rovers, maybe their cranky veggie chairman would advise us.
Of course the beefburgers would have to go!!!

Falafel please!

Surely if money was no object then we could just buy up all the houses around Hayden Road and make that into a proper stadium.

[Three of Diamonds]

Surely if money was no object then we could just buy up all the houses around Hayden Road and make that into a proper stadium.

I can't see that being realistic nor popular with the locals and council, and particularly as you appear to sit in the "not going backwards" camp it's an odd choice as it's further backward than ever. As for Falafels I'm sure Bob & Pigman would have something to say on that :lol:

[Bob's Bitch]

Well since we're in fairylalaland we could just buy all the houses for a slightly inflated price before giving backhanders to the council and any annoyed people. 4G pitch, underground car park. Sorted. ;)

[Rushdenjim]

The Facts

I think it's quite obvious that our new stadium whenever built will be in an area called 'Rushden East'. Rushden sits in a very difficult position geographically. Rushden can't develop to the north because Higham is there, It can't develop to the West because Rushden is already at the boundary of East Northamptonshire. Development over the last 10 years has been to the south and are nearly at the Bedfordshire border, so the east is the only real option. This was confirmed in a draft by the North Northamptonshire Joint Planning Unit (NNJPU) in 2012 that concluded that East Northants council and Rushden Town council were in agreement that 'Rushden East' or 'RUS3' (The land between John Clark way and Newton Road) as they call it was their "preferred location for growth"

This new development area, coming on-line in the next 20 years will be massive. Although the report and general opinions are keen for the development to be of a "suitable size in relation to the size of the town", they expect 2100 homes to be built in the next 15 years, compared to the 1600 that have been built in the last 10 years (notably Barrington Road estates and Peveral Manor) Adding to this a further letter from Rushden Town Council stated that this new development area would "include the opportunity to relocate some of the current sports and leisure facilities". These are very positive words.

My opinion

With a development of this size, they will inevitably be a 'neighbourhood area' this is confirmed by the NNJPU who said that the urban extension would include among other things a "neighbourhood centre/ local shops". I see this being something along the lines of Redwell in Wellingborough. I personally believe a stadium built in a 'neighbourhood centre' would be perfect! A truly community area, not next to homes so to incur future lighting/noise problems. I echo all said so far regarding green energy, Dartford claimed to have the first 'eco-friendly' stadium back in 2006, i would be interested to see how it has paid off for them. Rushden is going to be growing in the next 20 years, lets grow with it!

[paulk]

MK dons and Wembley for example are about 20% fake grass mixed with the real stuff, it will not be long before lower level teams switch to it, IMO.

Many top class pitches now have the 'Desso' sports system which incorporates plastic into the surface of the pitch. Wembley, Emirates, City of Manchester, White Hart Lane, Anfield, Turf Moor, Huddersfield, Watford, Cardiff, Villa Park and Swansea use this system. This prevents large divots being thrown up and is particularly useful where rugby is played on the same pitch used by football clubs.

http://www.dessosports.com/hybrid-grass

If it was Huddersfield's main pitch last season, it didn't work! It was like a beach because of how much sand was used for most of the season.

Desso dosent stop grass wearing out if pitch is overused. It's stitched in to ensure surface levels remain when grass coverage is lost.

[Bobos]

Hi Paul, gfood to see you are still about 8-)

What would you recommend?

[paulk]

Hi Paul, gfood to see you are still about 8-)

What would you recommend?

If you had the land a fibresand pitch (like nene park was) for your main pitch and a 3/4 g pitch next door to hire out. hope your well pal.

[Bobos]

Hi Paul, gfood to see you are still about 8-)

What would you recommend?

If you had the land a fibresand pitch (like nene park was) for your main pitch and a 3/4 g pitch next door to hire out. hope your well pal.

Cheers mate, doing fine, I hope you are well 8-)