What Happened to Manchester City's Maine Road

[Gordyola]

The Platt Lane and the Kippax new stands must be about the worst ever. Absolutely abysmal design. The whole concept seemed to be intended to downsize the stadium to match the plummeting support in the Swales era. I know that the Kippax was built after Swales stood down but the design was already complete and it proved too late to do anything else before they all-seater deadline was imposed.

I can recall 63,000 attendances at Maine Road but by the mid-1990s it was down to a maximum of little over 30,000.

Apart from anything else it was an architectural nightmare with four very different stands and absolutely no coherence or uniformity.

I was delighted when City agreed to leave Maine Road. Maybe a move was inevitable? Could a 50,000-60,000 stadium have been squeezed into the Maine Road footprint? Probably not? I suppose that city could have used LFC style methods to introduce rats to surrounding housing and force people out? Ultimately a move was probably for the best.

This is incorrect Swale's plan was to carry the Platt Lane around into the Kippax I know because, he told me to which I reacted that the Platt Lane was abysmal a total surprise to him as he was very proud of it. The Kippax that was built was designed under Franny and was a big as possible within the constraints of the location

 

[Buckley Mug]

Some of the Kippax street seats are installed at Airbus Broughton football club and they still look good

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

Still prefer it to the etihad. Especially the area. Much better for pubs

 

[JGL07]

This is incorrect Swale's plan was to carry the Platt Lane around into the Kippax I know because, he told me to which I reacted that the Platt Lane was abysmal a total surprise to him as he was very proud of it. The Kippax that was built was designed under Franny and was a big as possible within the constraints of the location

I recall that when Lee took over he tried to have the stand redesigned but had insufficient time. The old Kippax was demolished in 1994 at the end of the season, the same year that Lee became chairman. The new stand was opened in stages over the following 18 months.

I have worked in Construction for longer than I care to remember. I just don’t see how the new Kippax could have been conceived and designed under Lee given the timescale for design and planning permission. That is unless Lee had a time machine handy?

 

[Corky]

I recall that when Lee took over he tried to have the stand redesigned but had insufficient time. The old Kippax was demolished in 1994 at the end of the season, the same year that Lee became chairman. The new stand was opened in stages over the following 18 months.

I have worked in Construction for longer than I care to remember. I just don’t see how the new Kippax could have been conceived and designed under Lee given the timescale for design and planning permission. That is unless Lee had a time machine handy?

The original planning application was validated June 1993 with executive boxes and a 600 seat restaurant.

The planning permission was granted in May 1994. Where there boxes at the back of level 1 and the millennium suit the restaurant? Probably I reckon.

Swales wanted to bolt seats in the original from what I heard, could be bollocks too.

 

[blue oli]

Back of the net

And here are the teams

I had tickets from big joe C for that game instead of being in the kippax !

 

[bladdered]

This is where the Maine Stand roof ended up.

 

[HelloCity]

Imagine there was no Dickov goal and no takeover. Reckon we’d still be at Maine Road today?

 

[bluemoon32]

Imagine there was no Dickov goal and no takeover. Reckon we’d still be at Maine Road today?

You missed the 'e' off Maine & i was posting something sarky and noticed you'd updated it.....**** ha

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Apart from anything else it was an architectural nightmare with four very different stands and absolutely no coherence or uniformity.

Quite so. In fact, reminds me of a place not at all far away that is the theatre of architectural incoherence.