North Stand Construction Discussion

[Coatigan]

Surprised it will open that late. The actual structure seems further along than the South Stand was at a similar stage back in late 2014.

Maybe the surrounding elements such as the hotel and retail block will cause some access issues, or maybe the internals are going to be completed to a higher spec since SSL3 did feel a bit rushed internally.

I am not surprised at all. A couple of us have been saying on the other seating thread doubt it will be before '26.

It was always reported as end of Oct/nov for the stand. Once into nov, that's practically December and at that point it is an awkward time for big change. January then sounds much cleaner. Just pure guesswork, rather than thinking they are 'behind'.

 

[Coatigan]

I'm still led to believe, the stand can take fans with limited back of house for August. Whether City want that is another conversation.

Depends on how limited, and whether that is practical/acceptable, doesn't it. Maybe opening it in stages doesn't have the most effect and excitement.

 

[Coatigan]

Some info from Today’s OSC meeting:

Danny Wilson gave an update on the North Stand expansion

- the build was on track for Blues to be sat / stood in the expanded North Stand by Dec 2025 / Jan 2026.

- capacity is increasing by 7k and half the increase in capacity will be extra flexi gold season card holders (around the ground as opposed to just extra season cards in North Stand L2). Anyone transferring to North L2 with a season card will keep it.

- The Club favours flexi golds for new season card holders because their stats show existing season card holders attend, on average, 14 home Prem games a season. No shows remains a big problem.

- There will be at least 3k safe standing. As well as the sky bar and hotel room viewing from the top of the stand, there will be a hospitality section lower in the stand (final positioning not yet firmed up / possible room for debate). There are no plans to make the remaining North West (Colin Bell) and North East blocks that aren’t currently hospitality into hospitality.

- Existing North Stand season card holders will be the main priority to be looked after, before relocations from other parts of the ground commence. It sounded as though communications about this and relocations would be stepped up in the New Year.

The increase is almost 8k, 7900 something. You mentioned half the extra will be flexi gold tickets, and anyone transferring keeps their season ticket. Does that mean they expect circa 4k people to transfer. If less do it, what would happen with the rest of that half, just more flexi?

In what format/timing are they open to debate on the position of the 648 hospitality, did that get mentioned at all, or did it feel like just a throwaway line? I don't think they are really open to changing that, and in some ways they might be better explaining how they see that section working, rather than suggesting it might still change. Whereas I do believe they are open to increasing the 3k rail seats, on the other hand.

Similarly did the club say how/when they would assess the demand for increasing the 3k standing at all?

Thanks for the updates, appreciated. If the above wasn't discussed, obviously still happy to hear your own opinion or guesses.

 

[richards30]

Believe there will be vertical walls that join the North Stand with the CB Stand and East Stand, not the “ugly blending” they did on the new South Stand roof when they built the third tier at that end.

thank fuck for that! Any chance they could do the same on the south stand?!

 

[Coatigan]

thank fuck for that! Any chance they could do the same on the south stand?!

No, not really.

 

[richards30]

No, not really.

Wankers ;-)

 

[HelloCity]

Believe there will be vertical walls that join the North Stand with the CB Stand and East Stand, not the “ugly blending” they did on the new South Stand roof when they built the third tier at that end.

Yeah. You could see this element on the first renders.

 

[Tim of the Oak]

The increase is almost 8k, 7900 something. You mentioned half the extra will be flexi gold tickets, and anyone transferring keeps their season ticket. Does that mean they expect circa 4k people to transfer. If less do it, what would happen with the rest of that half, just more flexi?

In what format/timing are they open to debate on the position of the 648 hospitality, did that get mentioned at all, or did it feel like just a throwaway line? I don't think they are really open to changing that, and in some ways they might be better explaining how they see that section working, rather than suggesting it might still change. Whereas I do believe they are open to increasing the 3k rail seats, on the other hand.

Similarly did the club say how/when they would assess the demand for increasing the 3k standing at all?

Thanks for the updates, appreciated. If the above wasn't discussed, obviously still happy to hear your own opinion or guesses.

3,000 flexi goods were mentioned but it
might possibly be 3,500 if the ground capacity increases by 7,000. Most of the recent publicity from the club I’ve seen says capacity over 60k, suggesting it won’t be as high as 62k. The more the merrier in my opinion.

Danny said the location of the hospitality seats hadn’t been finalised. There was no suggestion that the hospitality seats would go. They are happening. It’s just about location in the stand (that needs to be close enough to the bar being built).

There wasn’t a discussion about expanding the 3k rail seats. It seemed to be linked to how people will relocate in the ground and City’s feeling was plenty of people would want to stay in the South Stand, so 3k rail seats was a sensible starting point. Danny said communications to fans would be stepped up in the New Year, starting with season card holders who could be affected on North Stand Level 2. I think the response to the communications with fans in the New Year could influence the number of rail seats but there would have to be good evidence of big demand for there to be more than 3k initially. That was my sense of the Club’s position rather than what Danny said.

I don’t get the sense the Club was negotiating on these aspects. People in City Matters are likely to know more than me. Thanks

 

[Bournemouth Blue]

I am grateful for the update but yet again the ticketing matters are getting into the construction thread. As for timelines, construction is at the mercy of the great British weather, if we get a reasonably benign year in 2025, the build might be finished by the end of the year, but a few weeks of storms and/or snow will slow things up for sure, so my guess is the club are managing expectations.

 

[Coatigan]

3,000 flexi goods were mentioned but it
might possibly be 3,500 if the ground capacity increases by 7,000. Most of the recent publicity from the club I’ve seen says capacity over 60k, suggesting it won’t be as high as 62k. The more the merrier in my opinion.

Danny said the location of the hospitality seats hadn’t been finalised. There was no suggestion that the hospitality seats would go. They are happening. It’s just about location in the stand (that needs to be close enough to the bar being built).

There wasn’t a discussion about expanding the 3k rail seats. It seemed to be linked to how people will relocate in the ground and City’s feeling was plenty of people would want to stay in the South Stand, so 3k rail seats was a sensible starting point. Danny said communications to fans would be stepped up in the New Year, starting with season card holders who could be affected on North Stand Level 2. I think the response to the communications with fans in the New Year could influence the number of rail seats but there would have to be good evidence of big demand for there to be more than 3k initially. That was my sense of the Club’s position rather than what Danny said.

I don’t get the sense the Club was negotiating on these aspects. People in City Matters are likely to know more than me. Thanks

Yeah the club do tend to seem to round down in their reporting for some reason. But the capacity as approved is pretty much 62k, think it is like 40 seats shy of that. If yiu include the hotel rooms that look onto the pitch as suites, it crosses the 62k mark. Similar with the extra seats, juat shy of 8k, but instead they tend to say 'over 7k'.

Thanks for the rest of that. The GA+ bar being restricted to a 300 capacity as in the latest statement by the club might make things somewhat interesting for that block of seats. I don't expect it to move though. But as I have always said, i don't think that will be what makes the stand not work.