Royal Elm Park

[Pat Butchers Ring]

The story here isn’t about what’s happening on the pitch. It’s the investment in the infrastructure to make the area around the stadium generate money. This leads to a more sustainable club. A gravelly old car park or bars/restaurants/event space. I know which I would want to see.

[Hendo]

The story here isn’t about what’s happening on the pitch. It’s the investment in the infrastructure to make the area around the stadium generate money. This leads to a more sustainable club. A gravelly old car park or bars/restaurants/event space. I know which I would want to see.

Whilst that is true, I don’t know how sustainable/viable something like that is with our home attendances.

For instance, the companies there would be losing money hand over fist on a Tuesday night home game to some northern side with an attendance of about 10,000. Totally different ball game when you’re a club as good as Leicester and sell out 30,000 every week.

[tmesis]

The story here isn’t about what’s happening on the pitch. It’s the investment in the infrastructure to make the area around the stadium generate money. This leads to a more sustainable club. A gravelly old car park or bars/restaurants/event space. I know which I would want to see.

Whilst that is true, I don’t know how sustainable/viable something like that is with our home attendances.

For instance, the companies there would be losing money hand over fist on a Tuesday night home game to some northern side with an attendance of about 10,000. Totally different ball game when you’re a club as good as Leicester and sell out 30,000 every week.

The same comments was made about the hotel, rather missing the point that it, and these bars etc, are not being built with football fans attending Reading home games being the target market.

[tidus_mi2]

There are plans to also build residential areas so that in turn would subsidise the need for businesses to be built around the area, can only hope when it's eventually done that it's a net benefit for the club.

[PATRIQT]

There are plans to also build residential areas so that in turn would subsidise the need for businesses to be built around the area, can only hope when it's eventually done that it's a net benefit for the club.

I wouldn't hold your breath that it will get done. The Thai's have zero interest in building it. They've been trying to sell the land and the plans for years and no one is interested.

Where do RFC make any money from this if it happens? We sold the land for a pittance. Do we have a % of REP?

[3points]

There are plans to also build residential areas so that in turn would subsidise the need for businesses to be built around the area, can only hope when it's eventually done that it's a net benefit for the club.

I wouldn't hold your breath that it will get done. The Thai's have zero interest in building it. They've been trying to sell the land and the plans for years and no one is interested.

Where do RFC make any money from this if it happens? We sold the land for a pittance. Do we have a % of REP?

the club still owns 24.7% of the shares of RFC Propco Ltd, which is the company which holds the land asset. The directors of RFC Propco are
RODDISON, John
GEICKE, Horst Joachim Franz - who has a directorship with Oxford United
HOWE, Nigel
SRISUMRID, Taweesuk
THANAKARNJANASUTH, Sumrith - also Oxford United

There was something in the RFC accounts a couple of years ago which effectively stated that the Thais had defaulted on a loan which possibly put ownership of the Thais shares into the hands of a lender? The 2019 RFC Propco accounts state the company owed £4.8m to Empire Asset Group pte Ltd, a Singapore based company, which also owned 50.3% of the shares. Therefore, that is probably the Thais holding vehicle. It also owes £1.6m to RFC

[SouthDownsRoyal]

[RG30]

A new operator is being appointed to run the car park next to Reading Football Club.

The site was previously leased to the club for the use of fans on match days and for Park & Ride users. This lease expired in May 2024.

The site owner’s new operator will not take over the running of the car park immediately, the change will be made at the start of the 2025/26 football season.

The decision to appoint a new operator has been made to ensure smooth car park operations are in place for the start of the new season and that no interruptions to access for fans will occur during the 2025/26 campaign.

Fans will still be able to leave their cars in a safe and convenient location during matches and matchday prices for parking will not increase.

A spokesman for the Royal Elm Park Development team said: “We know our car park is the most convenient place for fans to park on match days and we want the transition to the new operator to be as smooth as possible. We are announcing this change as early as we can, so that any wrinkles can be worked out before the start of next season. We know fans will be worried about this change, but we wanted to reassure everyone that we will not be increasing prices as part of this change.

Every RFC fan will know our long-term ambitions for the site, and we see fans as a key part of that. That’s why the new multi-storey car park will be built as phase one of the development. We want fans to be able to easily park at the stadium as easily as possible and will work with fans to ensure that remains the case.”

There is planning permission to develop Royal Elm Park into a mix of commercial and residential areas. The first phase of this will be the construction of a new, secure multi-storey car park including 616 car parking spaces, with 35 accessible spaces, 13 motorbike spaces and 295 bicycle ranks.

https://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news/25087793.reading-fc-car-park-changes-operator-ahead-development/

[RFCMod]

If we still exist when this is built then Christ I'd like to see people departing a multi story after the final whistle
Its bad enough on ground level watching people trying to depart the current car park so departing a multi story would be hilarious

[RG30]

Royal Elm Park is the land around the stadium including the car park and where the dome is. Planning permission has been granted for some time on this land and it looks like they are starting to get organised and move forward. There is a public exhibition on 2nd October at 2.00 at the stadium. If you want to read the information please look here. I will be asking for their assurance on the protection of the Memorial Garden, car parking, transport links and disabled parking. If you have anything else to ask and can't make the exhibition please reply to this email with your questions.

Per the latest STAR newsletter.

[Sutekh]

Royal Elm Park is the land around the stadium including the car park and where the dome is. Planning permission has been granted for some time on this land and it looks like they are starting to get organised and move forward. There is a public exhibition on 2nd October at 2.00 at the stadium. If you want to read the information please look here. I will be asking for their assurance on the protection of the Memorial Garden, car parking, transport links and disabled parking. If you have anything else to ask and can't make the exhibition please reply to this email with your questions.

Per the latest STAR newsletter.

Sudden visions of Hitch Hikers….

The plans were on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet, in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door, "Beware of the leopard!"

[windermereROYAL]

I assume this will involve losing a significant amount of car parking spaces.

[Brogue]

https://www.royalelmpark.co.uk/about

[Sutekh]

I assume this will involve losing a significant amount of car parking spaces.

The development builds on the land currently occupied by the dome and car park. When complete it should provide:

A community of up to 618 homes, delivering a varied housing mix
Flexible space for business and commercial use
A hotel and serviced apartments
New retail and leisure facilities
A new public square and landscaped park
A multi-story car park
New walking and cycling infrastructure

As I understand it, the first phase will be the construction the multi-storey car park including 616 car parking spaces, with 35 accessible spaces, 13 motorbike spaces and 295 bicycle ranks

Believe the current garden of remembrance will remain.

Current view of the affected area:

[Clyde1998]

I assume this will involve losing a significant amount of car parking spaces.

From the renders, not only does it look like the entire car park’s going, but also the dome, 3G pitches and classrooms used by the Community Trust.

Royal Elm Park is the land around the stadium including the car park and where the dome is. Planning permission has been granted for some time on this land and it looks like they are starting to get organised and move forward. There is a public exhibition on 2nd October at 2.00 at the stadium. If you want to read the information please look here. I will be asking for their assurance on the protection of the Memorial Garden, car parking, transport links and disabled parking. If you have anything else to ask and can't make the exhibition please reply to this email with your questions.

Per the latest STAR newsletter.

I should be able to get down to the exhibition. Does anyone on here have any questions for it?

[Hendo]

I assume this will involve losing a significant amount of car parking spaces.

From the renders, not only does it look like the entire car park’s going, but also the dome, 3G pitches and classrooms used by the Community Trust.

Royal Elm Park is the land around the stadium including the car park and where the dome is. Planning permission has been granted for some time on this land and it looks like they are starting to get organised and move forward. There is a public exhibition on 2nd October at 2.00 at the stadium. If you want to read the information please look here. I will be asking for their assurance on the protection of the Memorial Garden, car parking, transport links and disabled parking. If you have anything else to ask and can't make the exhibition please reply to this email with your questions.

Per the latest STAR newsletter.

I should be able to get down to the exhibition. Does anyone on here have any questions for it?

The Rock or Con Air? etc...

[Whore Jackie]

618 homes. 616 car parking spaces.

No mention of the conference facilities / exhibition space that was a big part of the original plans. Or the ice rink!

Slightly surprised there's demand for another hotel, given you've got Voco next to the SCL, plus Hilton, Holiday Inn and Premier Inn within a mile.

[Linden Jones' Tash]

For transparency, here are the people who are behind the development:

https://find-and-update.company-informa ... 0/officers

[Hound]

Looks like Kennet island part 2. Not exciting or interesting at all

Just seems they are trying to make as money out of it as possible.

[Clyde1998]

618 homes. 616 car parking spaces.

No mention of the conference facilities / exhibition space that was a big part of the original plans. Or the ice rink!

Slightly surprised there's demand for another hotel, given you've got Voco next to the SCL, plus Hilton, Holiday Inn and Premier Inn within a mile.

All the renders are from the original plans too, so the conference facilities are still shown (for example) and the render showing the inside of the stadium includes Thai Airways; Carabao and Puma advertisements (our kit sponsors/manufacture at the time).

Been suggested to me this could be an attempt to complete fully complete the planning application in an attempt to sell the site, as opposed to any serious proposal to actually build the thing.

As mentioned on here before, fully completing a planning application around the stadium site has become a lot more complicated due to the expansion of the AWE detailed emergency planning zone (Burghfield) in ~2020 - and that's the responsibility of West Berkshire Council (https://westberks.gov.uk/awe#DEPZ).

Could well be the final set of dominoes before the site basically becomes worthless to any developer, which could allow the club to get the car park back for a nominal amount.