Re: Wheldon Road - Retail Planning Application! : Fri May 20, 2011 8:06 am  

TypingMonkey wrote:

I'm seriously close to giving up on this game.

Even in a year when we have a good team, some great young prospects for the future, an upper-mid-table league position, and sponsors beating the door down, we are still saddled with the unbearable stress of whether or not we will be granted a superleague licence because we can't magic up £12m from nowhere to fund a construction project.

It's nothing to do with sport, and it's not why I hand my money over every weekend.

Well done to the RFL for sucking all the fun out of Rugby League. If Cas don't get a licence I will never watch another game of RL as long as I live, because it's not sport and it's not fun.

Well said that man, the RFL are playing Russian Roulette with two clubs that are trying their bloody hardest to go forward. They are are not helping by actually forcing these clubs in to spending both time and money on defending their positions when they could be putting that time and effort into working on their plans for new stadia.

The sooner that both sets of fans wake up and smell the bloody coffee the better... this is not about Cas v Wakey, it should be about Cas and Wakey v the RFL!

Re: Wheldon Road - Retail Planning Application! : Fri May 20, 2011 8:49 am  

I think the ground issue on both sides as been done to death by both sets of fans and it getting really boring! there is nothing any of us can do about it, both sets of fans need to grow up and form some sort of action group hell bent on keeping both clubs in SL or we risk at least 10 to 15,000 people being lost to the game.

Re: Wheldon Road - Retail Planning Application! : Fri May 20, 2011 9:17 am  

Inflatable_Armadillo wrote:

I have been trying to decide whether I should post this and also where I should post it! However, after some reflection I think it is important to post this, even if many will view this as me being negative and anti-Cas/Pro Wakefield and some will chose not to believe me at all... as after all, I can't reveal my source, just tell you that it is very reliable one!

I am posting it for two reasons, firstly I think Cas fans are being a little mis-lead by RW. I understand why he is doing this of course and if I was him and facing the licence issue and needing to present things in the best possible light I might do the same, but I do think that the fans are being possibly being deliberately mis-lead? Also, as someone who supports a 15 team SL or, if a side has to go, then it should be the failed Welsh folly, then I think the important perception that Cas are in front of Wakefield on a new stadium is unfair and now, given this news, you could say that Cas are now behind Wakefield. I don't want Cas or Wakefield to go, and what I hope this news might do is galvanise some Cas supporters into realising that losing either side is just plain wrong and unfair!

Well, here goes, I expect that another forum's members will get out their voodoo dolls and go into libel and slander overdrive...

So, a meeting has taken place between Castleford, Opus and senior planning officers at Wakefield Council, has as been widely publicized. However, this meeting was not very positive at all, in fact it was very negative and not very well received at all by the planning officers!

The long and short of is it that they perceive a retail/supermarket on Wheldon Road to have massive planning issues/implications and the proposals were seen, currently, as not being suitable for many reasons. Firstly, although this area is in the current LDF as a special regeneration zone they did not foresee any plans for major retail or a supermarket in this area at all, in fact the very opposite! Issues with increased traffic generation on the existing network and the implications for the continued re-development of both Castleford Town centre and also the established out of town retail zone at Glasshoughton.

They were, I understand, very sympathetic to Cas's situation and understood why they wanted to develop this land for this type of use, to benefit from a higher land sale value. They however were told that they have to view any application objectively and can't simply sit there and tell them everything is fine, when they have what they see as massive and legitimate planning concerns.

The meeting did end on a slightly more positive note and the planners told them that developing this land for retail was not necessarily impossible but was currently improbable, all things considered. They were happy to work closely with Opus and the club to try and present the best possible options for developing the land for an eventual application of this type on this site but, they thought that the possible section 106 implications on the developer (road and highways improvements) could be too onerous to make the development financially viable and that even then the were concerned that other planning issues, like the impact on Castleford Town Centre, might still lead them to recommending to the planning committee that they reject the application. They were also told that this was not going to be satisfactorily resolved in a short space of time and that even 12/18 months was hugely optimistic given what they had seen so far!

Finally, they did admit that the LDF may help their application longer term but as this is still a year away even if Opus just wanted to chance their arm with a planning application to the planning committee, doing so before March/April next year (when the LDF should be in force) was probably futile.

Personally, from what I have heard from my source, I do think that in the longer term prospects of getting some sort of retail of commercial use for the site may happen, but I think it is 2/3 years away before planning is granted on this site if at all!

Sorry, but this is from a very credible source, who shall of course remain confidential (sorry, I know some of you will poo-poo it just for this, but I trust them and that is the end of that) and I hope the more reasonable posters don't just shoot the messenger!

According to a friend of a friends uncle Dave's, sisters, brothers pet rabbit it doesnt matter if FULL planning permission takes 5 years as long as Outline PP goes through the funds will be given to CT from Opus. The reason the council were a bit cagey about it all is that Opus have many different tenders for the project and cover a wide range of different sizes and plans and different impacts on the area. They were basically too vague at this point as to what was actually going to be put on the site.

Re: Wheldon Road - Retail Planning Application! : Fri May 20, 2011 9:57 am  

Once outline PP is granted full PP will follow relatively quickly. But it is thought that it will be at least 3 years before any decision either will be reached on outline PP when you consider the high likelihood of it going to the secretary of state if it is attempted to be rushed through. Thats if the council let it get that far, they were less than impressed with the idea at present i'm afraid and theres a lot of work to do to come up with a plan that is acceptable to all parties. Sadly these things don't take five minutes and Opus are in know rush as it is not costing them anything to sit on a deal for a while. If fact with land prices showing no sign of significantly rising in the short term then it would be in their interest to develop the land further down the line. I think it will be developed at some point but it won't be in the near future.

Re: Wheldon Road - Retail Planning Application! : Fri May 20, 2011 10:28 am  

Well put Baz, it's obvious from his many postings that IA is well and truly anti Cas, why would he try to stir things up about the Wheldon Road development if that wasn't his position?
This sleight of hand by IA, trying to shift the focus from the wildcats financial demise with his third or fourth hand, fly on the wall revelations and suppositions are nothing short of scandalous. If this man was pro Cas, then why on earth would he come on here with such utterings? it's obvious that he has go into bed with the wildcats and will do all he can to try to derail our license application and try to put a positive spin on anything and everything the wildcats do? Fortunately the RFL are not stupid enough to be swayed by such tittle tattle and the Castleford Tigers application will be judged on its merits, as will that of the wildcats.
You've shown your hand once again IA and your trolling is not welcome here, as you say you live near NM so concentrate your efforts on that site and keep out of our business!

Re: Wheldon Road - Retail Planning Application! : Fri May 20, 2011 10:38 am  

sixtogo wrote:

Once outline PP is granted full PP will follow relatively quickly. But it is thought that it will be at least 3 years before any decision either will be reached on outline PP when you consider the high likelihood of it going to the secretary of state if it is attempted to be rushed through. Thats if the council let it get that far, they were less than impressed with the idea at present i'm afraid and theres a lot of work to do to come up with a plan that is acceptable to all parties. Sadly these things don't take five minutes and Opus are in know rush as it is not costing them anything to sit on a deal for a while. If fact with land prices showing no sign of significantly rising in the short term then it would be in their interest to develop the land further down the line. I think it will be developed at some point but it won't be in the near future.

Can't disagree with any of that mate, spot on! This will get the nod eventually, it is just going to take much longer that RW is currently prepared to reveal... for obvious reason and I don't blame him to some extent.

Re: Wheldon Road - Retail Planning Application! : Fri May 20, 2011 10:57 am  

danny boy1 wrote:

Well put Baz, it's obvious from his many postings that IA is well and truly anti Cas, why would he try to stir things up about the Wheldon Road development if that wasn't his position?
This sleight of hand by IA, trying to shift the focus from the wildcats financial demise with his third or fourth hand, fly on the wall revelations and suppositions are nothing short of scandalous. If this man was pro Cas, then why on earth would he come on here with such utterings? it's obvious that he has go into bed with the wildcats and will do all he can to try to derail our license application and try to put a positive spin on anything and everything the wildcats do? Fortunately the RFL are not stupid enough to be swayed by such tittle tattle and the Castleford Tigers application will be judged on its merits, as will that of the wildcats.
You've shown your hand once again IA and your trolling is not welcome here, as you say you live near NM so concentrate your efforts on that site and keep out of our business!

You are not getting this at all are you!!!

I am really trying to help the fans of both clubs understand why they need to join together to fight the RFL not each other. You just stay in that bubble of yours and ignore this then and take the risk that Savills report will not uncover this and throw some major spanners into your SL application, just as big, if not bigger than Newmarket has done with Wakefield.

You will also clearly not be interested in knowing and think I am making things up when a friend and fellow industry professional has told me this morning that they (and many others) have been asked to and will be submitting (actually, it might have already have gone back, not sure) a fee proposal for one of the consulting packages for the planning application design work. They have been asked to submit their fee proposals for an approx 65,000 sq ft retail (not total area, just retail space) plus associated storage, service yard and car parking for a superstore and possible PFS on the WR site.

OR... am just making this up???

That is what they showed the planning officers and the planning officers have issues. Simple as!

This will happen in some form or other, I am sure, but not for quite a while yet... WAKE UP people or just keep taking the ostrich approach and put your heads in the sands... it might work and get you a license... or it might not!

Re: Wheldon Road - Retail Planning Application! : Fri May 20, 2011 10:57 am  

TypingMonkey wrote:

I'm seriously close to giving up on this game.

Even in a year when we have a good team, some great young prospects for the future, an upper-mid-table league position, and sponsors beating the door down, we are still saddled with the unbearable stress of whether or not we will be granted a superleague licence because we can't magic up £12m from nowhere to fund a construction project.

It's nothing to do with sport, and it's not why I hand my money over every weekend.

Well done to the RFL for sucking all the fun out of Rugby League. If Cas don't get a licence I will never watch another game of RL as long as I live, because it's not sport and it's not fun.

Welcome to our world.

Re: Wheldon Road - Retail Planning Application! : Fri May 20, 2011 11:01 am  

bren2k wrote:

Welcome to our world.

Some of them are maybe getting this now... but it would appear many are not bren2K!

It is easier to slag me off and than realise that this is about helping them wake up to the actual situation! Oh well!

Re: Wheldon Road - Retail Planning Application! : Fri May 20, 2011 11:25 am  

Despite what you might think IA you are not the only person who uses the forum who has letters after their name, is a proffesional or holds a position high up the managerial chain.

Having read through all of your extremely long winded posts on what you supposedly know as a fact about a prelimanry meeting to discuss Cas's new outline planning application, which by your own admission you didnt actually attend, I could write a long and detailed counter argument, but I think it would be far simpler and painless all round to simply................

..........call you a to**er.