Swindon Town are looking to develop the County Ground to improve the stadium and increase revenue, but they might run into some issues.
The land which the County Ground is on was gifted to the town by the Goddard family under the proviso that it would be used for sport and recreation, but any development must be agreed by a trust.
Former chairman Andrew Fitton discussed his experiences of trying to develop the ground when he was in charge between 2008 and 2011.
He said: “Maybe the covenant has been lifted. I don’t think so. Maybe it has been altered. I don’t think so either.
“That land has been covenanted, not just the football ground, but the athletics track, and the whole site.
“Lots and lots of people have come to Swindon thinking they could build houses on that ground. Sir Seton Wills got involved with a guy called Terry Brady, who came in as an owner, and he wanted to develop the land. In order to get rid of him, Wills got a loan from a property development company and they wanted to develop the land. Everybody thinks they can.
“My conversations with the Goddard Trust, those conversations might be different now, were very good and they came to us and their line was: if you want to do development around the football club, possibly including a hotel along the roundabout then they would probably go along with that. If you want to do some retail specific to the football club then they would go along with that, but if you want to put a shopping centre on there then you would have to pay them.
“Effectively, the value from any development would go to the Goddard Trust. They may have changed that stance but I would be surprised.
“It basically means that you can’t develop the site, but it doesn’t mean you can’t build a better football ground, you just can’t put 1,000 flats on the car park, for instance.
“You can probably do some creative things, which a lot of people have done, if you build a new stand then putting facilities in like student accommodation that you can rent out but within the confines of the current footprint, plus a little bit more.
“All I am saying is that they [The Goodard Trust] are not unreasonable people, but they are not going to let you take advantage of the basic covenant on the land.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel