RoytonBlueLad Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 Bulldozers could move on to Chapel Road playing fields at Hollinwood to clear the way for a new academy school. The land, which includes Oldham Athletic’s training fields and a synthetic community pitch, is being considered as a replacement site for Kaskenmoor and South Chadderton Schools. It could replace the Oak Colliery site, also in Hollinwood, which was dropped by the Liberal Democrats, who took control of Oldham Council in May. But the man whose casting vote helped to create the Chapel Road site in 1995, former council leader John Battye, says methane problems on the former landfill site could push up costs. Talks are being held with Latics, who have a 99-year lease on their training pitches, changing rooms and car park. But current Council leader Councillor Howard Sykes said Chapel Road is not the only land being considered, and other sites will be revealed next week. The council is poised to send out consultation leaflets on September 18 about its preferred sites for academy schools under the £230 million Building Schools for the Future (BSF) project. BSF will transform secondary education by closing five schools — Breeze Hill, Counthill, Grange, Kaskenmoor and South Chadderton — and building two academies. Councillor Sykes added: “The situation is complicated but we have to get the right site for the school, and it is not the only place we are looking. A late report will be produced at the September 1 Cabinet meeting. Councillor Sykes added: “We are in talks with Oldham Athletic and someone else about another site. Oldham Athletic’s chief executive Alan Hardy expects more talks this week, and added: “Chapel Road is a really important site to us, an excellent training facility. “Obviously we would not want to stand in the council’s way of bringing £200 million into the borough, if an alternative site could be found. “It is too early to say if there will be new facilities and a new site. We have a very, very long lease and we have invested a lot of money down there with two training pitches, a new changing rooms block and car parking. “The facilities are more important to us than the area, but this has only just come on the horizon.” John Battye, whose vote sealed the plans to create Chapel Road in 1995, said: “It was a former reservoir which used to top up the Hollinwood Canal, then a landfill site. “There have been problems with methane and you can see the vents from Chapel Road. I think it would make building costs very expensive.” Don't leave till we have a new place sorted. When the work really gets going on the ground we'll lose Little Wembley too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markoasis Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 Don't leave till we have a new place sorted. When the work really gets going on the ground we'll lose Little Wembley too. Nice little barginning chip .... hotel maybe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beag_teeets Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 Anyone else get the feeling that this may be a bit of "payback" for events early this year? The council eventually played ball for Latics, now they want Latics to play ball with them. Or am I too cynical? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futchers briefs Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 Anyone else get the feeling that this may be a bit of "payback" for events early this year? The council eventually played ball for Latics, now they want Latics to play ball with them. Or am I too cynical? Or maybe "nail and head!!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghostofcecere Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 I'd tell them to off and delay a decision for 12 months until we consider it properly. Ignore the results of a traffic survey and then wait til the value of the grant has diminished so the school won't get built until the enconomic conditions get better. Oh and get local residents to write letters to The Chron everynight about how a local peice of greenery will be lost evn if it is an eyesore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garcon Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 As that was a different council regime, I think you're being a bit cynical... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghostofcecere Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 As that was a different council regime, I think you're being a bit cynical... Sorry I just needed to get it off my chest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alec1954 Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 Sorry I just needed to get it off my chest An alternative site for a new training facility could be Carlton Way, why not demolish all of the nice little bunglaows and remove the problem about traffic and rat runs? The residents could be offered a new flat on the BP car park? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoytonBlueLad Posted August 28, 2008 Author Share Posted August 28, 2008 Anyone else get the feeling that this may be a bit of "payback" for events early this year? The council eventually played ball for Latics, now they want Latics to play ball with them. Or am I too cynical? Not cynical at all. Lets see how we handle it now. Few players in the past upon joining have mentioned the training facilities as being very good. Just don't want to end up with nothing like some clubs have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macca Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 As that was a different council regime, I think you're being a bit cynical... Wasn't it the Lib Dem councillors in the main that voted against the plans first time round? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youngen Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 (edited) Or we could hold out for an extra few tens of thousand pounds which it would have cost when we resumbitted our planning permission. And then tell em to get bent. Edited August 28, 2008 by youngen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafc0000 Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 Considering we still havent got full permission for the stage two of the ground development we need to keep the council sweet so we cant, unfortunantly, tell them where to go... Also the wider Oldham public will be more intrested in getting new schools over us having training facilities.... Lets be honest though, the facilities at Chapel road are hardly state of the art are they. Two pitches and changing rooms.... In the event we have to move im sure we can sort something out which works for us and the council... Considering are 99 year lease I think the council will have to provide alternative facilities... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
losesome Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 (edited) Or we could hold out for an extra few tens of thousand pounds which it would have cost when we resumbitted our planning permission. And then tell em to get bent. Plus i would try and negotiate a price to cover the shortfall on the land we are selling at BP. It was only the council's ridiculous rejections that caused such a lengthy delay and reduced land values as a result. Time for some tough negotiating me thinks. Edited August 28, 2008 by losesome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrikkiNikki Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 Knowing our luck, we'll probably end up on Clayton Playing Fields. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edhunteruk Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 Knowing our luck, we'll probably end up on Clayton Playing Fields. i would say its a very good bargaining tool....i remember playing on chapel road when it was a cinders pitch,sliding tackles were horrendous,was picking grit out me legs for weeks.... facilities wise it isnt the best.... the club have also been known on occasion to use the avro site at the bottom of broadway,which i would say is more suited to the clubs needs,plus its off the main road for privacy,i would hold onto chapel road for as long as poss then try and cut a deal with aerospace over the avro site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
springhead Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 Actually it's a **** suggestion - shut down two schools with big playing fields. Build a new one with a couple of thousand kids on a site that won't be big enough to provide proper playing facilities. Where do the new players for the future come from when they are doing the same thing in five schools across the borough? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafc0000 Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 Surely Kaskenmoor site would be the best place for it to go... Its a huge site and the school never made full use of all the land ? Im really gutted my old school is going.... Boo Hooo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alec1954 Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 Surely the Chapel Road land must be worth a small fortune? If I remember rightly, isn't the land 2/3 owned by the club? It must be worth £m's. Plus if TTA are also into land buying and selling, they will be well aware of what is available out there....the farm on Broadway may be worth a lot less now and could be a good site! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky_Latic Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 (edited) Surely Kaskenmoor site would be the best place for it to go... Its a huge site and the school never made full use of all the land ? The astroturf pitches on Kaskenmoor make an absolute mint with the leagues they run. £26 a team. In the monday night league some of us play in, there's 3 divisions of ten teams. That's £800 or so every Monday and they've got leagues on 7 nights a week like that. Not to mention all the money they make in fines because of certain card happy refs Then there's the young kid's that use the pitches before the first game of the night in the leagues starts. Plus the netball leagues inside. Hardly "not making full use of all the land." - The only bit of land that doesnt get used is the grass surrounding the astroturf pitches on the outside. Including one pitch. Then there's New Bridge special needs school on Kaskenmoors site, so there's no chance the council would even think of it. Edited August 29, 2008 by Rocky_Latic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafc0000 Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 The astroturf pitches on Kaskenmoor make an absolute mint with the leagues they run. £26 a team. In the monday night league some of us play in, there's 3 divisions of ten teams. That's £800 or so every Monday and they've got leagues on 7 nights a week like that. Not to mention all the money they make in fines because of certain card happy refs Then there's the young kid's that use the pitches before the first game of the night in the leagues starts. Then there's New Bridge special needs school on Kaskenmoors site, so there's no chance the council would even think of it. Forgot about them....came after I left... Maybe something latics could make use of ?? Im guessing they dont get much business during business hours ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafc0000 Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 Surely the Chapel Road land must be worth a small fortune? If I remember rightly, isn't the land 2/3 owned by the club? It must be worth £m's. Plus if TTA are also into land buying and selling, they will be well aware of what is available out there....the farm on Broadway may be worth a lot less now and could be a good site! I wouldnt be surprised if the Broadway site suddenly comes back into the reckoning.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edhunteruk Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 I wouldnt be surprised if the Broadway site suddenly comes back into the reckoning.... surely they cant put 5 schools worth of kids on a site not really big enough for one....but then again thats the council for you... i would say that south chadderton school is a far better option and a much bigger site when i was there there was room for 3 full size football pitches plus 3 tennis courts,those were never really utilised..... or the other option would be the old radcliffe school on broadway,half the buildings already there plus massive playing fields.. i really do hope that the chapel road site is worth quite a lot and its a case of scratch ours and we will scratch yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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