North Stand Construction Discussion

[Centurions]

Shown as seated, with an option for safe standing in the future.

As far as I can see it's the Sports Ground Safety Authority (SGSA) who decide whether a club can utilise safe standing and will issue a licence for such. We'll have to have full planning permission for the extension so that we can show we have the necessary infrastructure in place for it. That's why it's only shown as an option for now I think.

 

[MrCheeseGrater]

Can’t be arsed reading through a million pages but is the new north stand going to be safe standing or kept as a family section?

I’m in 115 and would relocate there if it’s going to be a singers / oiks end.

I don’t want to be being shushed and told to sit down with all the packed lunch and crossword brigade.

There is clear support for safe standing on the second tier and it's clearly something the club have looked at so I think it's pretty likely safe standing is used.

Where in the tier it is used is another debate though, especially whether they decide to put it in the proposed hospitality section or not.

 

[Coatigan]

As far as I can see it's the Sports Ground Safety Authority (SGSA) who decide whether a club can utilise safe standing and will issue a licence for such. We'll have to have full planning permission for the extension so that we can show we have the necessary infrastructure in place for it. That's why it's only shown as an option for now I think.

As part of this application, yes. That's the point I made before, it is not a planning matter, and once this application determines the numbers, classes, infrastructure and capacity, the change to safe standing goes directly through the football related bodies.

As a partly relevant example, Celtic introduced safe standing, without a planning application. But a couple of years before that they got approvals for a hotel, expanded ticket office, museum and general improvements to the infrastructure.

 

[supercity88]

I'm still browsing through the planning application information. I'm sure it's been covered on previous pages, but this is moving at pace so not been able to follow page by page. From a design perspective the hotel etc still doesn't work for me. I get that they've pretended there's been a design rationale to it, but it sticks out like a sore thumb and I can't help but feel through better materials or more complicated designs they could have come up with something more impressive. Having said that, I think in person once built it will look a lot better.

The views they've provided don't help. I don't really like the fact the stadium aesthetic is completely lost with these proposals, but again I think in person on a matchday with City Square buzzing it will probably work still.

I do remain concerned about the hospitality. The club have pulled the wool over our eyes with this. It's been fully considered and designed in. If it's not changed now it never will be. They're currently seeking planning for the proposed hospitality areas within the concourse so to change that would require planning permission. It's a simple change, just create more bar space for GA tickets...but it's one that the club has to do now and not post-planning, because they simply will not do it.



This view is fine. The majority you still get that stadium bowl and the hotel etc are incidental.


It's this one for me. An expanded North Stand rising in front of you would look epic and incredibly intimidating for opposition fans. The new view whilst obviously indicative just doesn't look good, which is a shame. Hopefully in practice with the screens and the noise from City Square it will work though. It doesn't help that it's a moody grey sky which the hotel and stand just blend into. It's a pretty poor quality image, and the CGI's with fans added help make it look more impressive - which are better to go off.



Finally - the proposals for Tifo's are great. They will look epic on big night games. Just a shame when they drop you might end up with a load of empty rows at the front of the 2nd tier!


Overall the proposals make sense. They deliver alternative uses which are much needed. They could be better designed, but they're working to the site constraints and balancing matchdays with the other 340 days a year! The North Stand proposals in general are excellent. A quality hospitality area at the top with a sky bar. A roof walk. A new museum/shop. All brilliant. An expanded 2nd tier with appropriate noise retaining materials at the back and side...all hugely positive.

It's just a case of pushing for that additional hospitality to go elsewhere because it undermines the whole point of a home end.

 

[somapop]

See, I think the exterior of the Co-Op Live is dead classy and will shoot it up to be the second best new-build in Manchester behind Co-Op’s headquarters at One Angel Square.

The arena will be sleek and sharp. Straight lines, block-colours, top banana to me. You should see how good the black cladding is in the ‘flesh’. And that LED lid that’s going on soon will top it off perfectly.

I find the proposals to the exterior of the expanded North Stand to not be up to the standards I was expecting from the club. There’s nowt up with that, just different people with different tastes and nothing to do with being a spoilt child.

On the 700 seats, here’s another picture of why it’s a bad idea to add to the many I’ve already posted:

View attachment 76556

People have been complaining about the hospitality area in the South Stand ruining pre-match displays for years. So having one, front-and-centre, of what we are preparing for being our new vocal stand, is clearly annoying to everyone who has been lobbying for a proper vocal stand for the first time in a generation… there’s really nowt up with that at all.

Could you imagine Dortmund being told the front eleven rows of their Südtribüne was going to be made hospitality? United have managed to get their club to get rid of their hospitality section in the Stretford End.

It really doesn’t have to be where they’re proposing in NSL2 and the more we feedback that we don’t want it there, the more chance of it being rethunk. Even if the plans can’t be amended, maybe if we even just make sure that the club put it out there for fans buying tickets there that we want them in their seats for displays before the game and we don’t want away fans in there at any cost (because there are away fans in hospitality all around the Etihad for many games).

I agree here.
The COOP arena, although basic in shape does like interesting, sleek, modern.
I'm really struggling with the visual for the hotel/extensions.

I've rested on them for a few days then search out opinions and seems the general consensus (outside of this forum) is they''re pretty uninspiring at best.
The symmetry (which made the stadium really special) has gone and those 60's school/office building similarities are hardly off the mark.
Drab design (I can't see any evidence of architecture).

Is it too late down the road for these to be sent packing?
Manchester as a city has escaped much of the poor new builds going up in other cities, but seems not in this location and to some extent Salford Quays/Mediacity).

I think I'm just disappointed as this thread once promised a lot of special things (and those super casino proposal visual still look exciting)

This looks utterly abhorrent, like a MS Paint job. Hope I'm proved wrong and it's all part of a masterplan I'm not seeing yet.

 

[richards30]

I agree here.
The COOP arena, although basic in shape does like interesting, sleek, modern.
I'm really struggling with the visual for the hotel/extensions.

I've rested on them for a few days then search out opinions and seems the general consensus (outside of this forum) is they''re pretty uninspiring at best.
The symmetry (which made the stadium really special) has gone and those 60's school/office building similarities are hardly off the mark.
Drab design (I can't see any evidence of architecture).

Is it too late down the road for these to be sent packing?
Manchester as a city has escaped much of the poor new builds going up in other cities, but seems not in this location and to some extent Salford Quays/Mediacity).

I think I'm just disappointed as this thread once promised a lot of special things (and those super casino proposal visual still look exciting)

This looks utterly abhorrent, like a MS Paint job. Hope I'm proved wrong and it's all part of a masterplan I'm not seeing yet.

They are LED screens though mate and i think the club just chucked up a shit image of them but me personally i love it looks so imposing on this walk up?

 

[trevorriley]

I'm still browsing through the planning application information. I'm sure it's been covered on previous pages, but this is moving at pace so not been able to follow page by page. From a design perspective the hotel etc still doesn't work for me. I get that they've pretended there's been a design rationale to it, but it sticks out like a sore thumb and I can't help but feel through better materials or more complicated designs they could have come up with something more impressive. Having said that, I think in person once built it will look a lot better.

The views they've provided don't help. I don't really like the fact the stadium aesthetic is completely lost with these proposals, but again I think in person on a matchday with City Square buzzing it will probably work still.

I do remain concerned about the hospitality. The club have pulled the wool over our eyes with this. It's been fully considered and designed in. If it's not changed now it never will be. They're currently seeking planning for the proposed hospitality areas within the concourse so to change that would require planning permission. It's a simple change, just create more bar space for GA tickets...but it's one that the club has to do now and not post-planning, because they simply will not do it.

View attachment 76621

This view is fine. The majority you still get that stadium bowl and the hotel etc are incidental.

View attachment 76622
It's this one for me. An expanded North Stand rising in front of you would look epic and incredibly intimidating for opposition fans. The new view whilst obviously indicative just doesn't look good, which is a shame. Hopefully in practice with the screens and the noise from City Square it will work though. It doesn't help that it's a moody grey sky which the hotel and stand just blend into. It's a pretty poor quality image, and the CGI's with fans added help make it look more impressive - which are better to go off.

View attachment 76623

Finally - the proposals for Tifo's are great. They will look epic on big night games. Just a shame when they drop you might end up with a load of empty rows at the front of the 2nd tier!

View attachment 76624
Overall the proposals make sense. They deliver alternative uses which are much needed. They could be better designed, but they're working to the site constraints and balancing matchdays with the other 340 days a year! The North Stand proposals in general are excellent. A quality hospitality area at the top with a sky bar. A roof walk. A new museum/shop. All brilliant. An expanded 2nd tier with appropriate noise retaining materials at the back and side...all hugely positive.

It's just a case of pushing for that additional hospitality to go elsewhere because it undermines the whole point of a home end.

great pic.

we have been discussing drop downs for some years with the club but the roof pitch is totally wrong. With the design being this way not only will it allow this type of drop down display but i imagine it will project noise out far better.

Just need to get sorted out with the safestand and corporate not getting in the way. Im sure this will be put right, what we do in the next 2 years to the new north stand effects the next 50 years and the club would love a yellow wall type end. After all what do young kids, older fans, prawn sandwich troffers all say about going to a game "we love the atmosphere"

 

[willipp]

I agree here.
The COOP arena, although basic in shape does like interesting, sleek, modern.
I'm really struggling with the visual for the hotel/extensions.

I've rested on them for a few days then search out opinions and seems the general consensus (outside of this forum) is they''re pretty uninspiring at best.
The symmetry (which made the stadium really special) has gone and those 60's school/office building similarities are hardly off the mark.
Drab design (I can't see any evidence of architecture).

Is it too late down the road for these to be sent packing?
Manchester as a city has escaped much of the poor new builds going up in other cities, but seems not in this location and to some extent Salford Quays/Mediacity).

I think I'm just disappointed as this thread once promised a lot of special things (and those super casino proposal visual still look exciting)

This looks utterly abhorrent, like a MS Paint job. Hope I'm proved wrong and it's all part of a masterplan I'm not seeing yet.

It does look like a 12 year old has done it on paint. No chance it will look that wank in reality.

 

[gouldybob]

They are LED screens though mate and i think the club just chucked up a shit image of them but me personally i love it looks so imposing on this walk up?

I'd prefer if there was a development to the right as well just for symmetries sake. Maybe move all the Sport City offices like the Rugby League and become a hub for sports administration.

When (being positive) the East and West stands grow and the old cable net roof goes the shape becomes more interesting again

 

[Coatigan]

I do remain concerned about the hospitality. The club have pulled the wool over our eyes with this. It's been fully considered and designed in. If it's not changed now it never will be. They're currently seeking planning for the proposed hospitality areas within the concourse so to change that would require planning permission. It's a simple change, just create more bar space for GA tickets...but it's one that the club has to do now and not post-planning, because they simply will not do it.

This part is categorically untrue. I'd be repeating other longer posts, but there is so much scope for this to change beyond the planning approval. It is also not a simple change, and one not worth making (in the planning submission) even if the club had already decided on changing it. This is certainly not a now or never, and so much can happen in the next 3 years.

The rest of the post, I can see your points, even where I disagree. The hotel, while I myself have said similar about its look, again, a long way to go before the final thing looks like it ends up looking. Ironically unlike you, I think simpler rather than more complex could make the diffeence. Incidentally, I think in the basic VIA views you include, it (the hotel itself) actually looks better than in the 'polished' visuals on the club website and in the DAS. Either way, still a lot to happen there, including specific material/coulour choices, sample bays being built for sign-off by planning, and generally more detail to come. I don't particularly like it in the images as is, but you'd hope to trust the professionals and the planners here to come through it with something decent.

Your points on the wider views and the approach, and the how the stadium as a whole is seen, are entirely valid. Something I haven't really considered in those terms and haven't seen many mention. Can't say it bothers me, but I do see what you are saying. And I agree the proposals in general are excellent, overall.