For Mrs O

[MrsORichSenior_]

Mrs O - there is a square ball podcast this week where in a section of it they talk about getting to and from the ground. Some interesting things said and a lot resonating with some of the comments I made. Well worth a listen and maybe citing some of it.

They have a small pop at LCC highways too.

thanks for that Hopey, never caught that one through the grapevine.

as club director Pete Lowy stated last week if only the political leaders could put the infrastructure of a mass transit system in place it would trigger between 1bn and 2bn of private investment to redevelop the land around Elland Road to include 2,000 new homes with new leisure, retail and office space as well.

problem is trying to satify everyone in vicinity of A6110 Ring Road, and A643 Elland Road now and in the future.
the current key routes into Leeds connecting south Leeds to the city centre are a popular route with over 38,000 people using it daily presently and matchdays bringing even more chaotic congestion.
the proposed scheme aims to address all longstanding issues along the route including its high collision rates, congestion, the limited pedestrian and cycling infrastructure and poor connectivity to surrounding areas.
i am informed LCC is still inviting businesses, residents and those who use the routes to share their views on the current proposals planned that also have to integrate into the broader remit goals of reducing carbon emissions, promoting active travel and supporting Vision Zero aims.

as ever the complexity and dynamic cross disciplinary nature of the proposed improvement proposals involves partnerships working with both regional and national stakeholder engagement assessments that do not always gel smoothly together, suppose thats the challenge of broadening ones horizons or as the French would say its all typical of English rosbif organisation.

unlike other major European clubs, most French Ligue 1 teams do not own their stadiums or operate them exclusively and in the majority of cases, the stadium is owned by the local authority which manages its operation through a variety of management methods so infrastructure is always well managed regarding stadia surrounds.

personally for a club of our size we need to be able to get people there quickly, easily and have them spend time there within facilities to accommodate all tastes so yes we do need a system where we can move people in and out simply and efficiently and safely before games and after games with hubs for hospitality offering choice.

MOT

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

thanks for that Hopey, never caught that one through the grapevine.

as club director Pete Lowy stated last week if only the political leaders could put the infrastructure of a mass transit system in place it would trigger between 1bn and 2bn of private investment to redevelop the land around Elland Road to include 2,000 new homes with new leisure, retail and office space as well.

problem is trying to satify everyone in vicinity of A6110 Ring Road, and A643 Elland Road now and in the future.
the current key routes into Leeds connecting south Leeds to the city centre are a popular route with over 38,000 people using it daily presently and matchdays bringing even more chaotic congestion.
the proposed scheme aims to address all longstanding issues along the route including its high collision rates, congestion, the limited pedestrian and cycling infrastructure and poor connectivity to surrounding areas.
i am informed LCC is still inviting businesses, residents and those who use the routes to share their views on the current proposals planned that also have to integrate into the broader remit goals of reducing carbon emissions, promoting active travel and supporting Vision Zero aims.

as ever the complexity and dynamic cross disciplinary nature of the proposed improvement proposals involves partnerships working with both regional and national stakeholder engagement assessments that do not always gel smoothly together, suppose thats the challenge of broadening ones horizons or as the French would say its all typical of English rosbif organisation.

unlike other major European clubs, most French Ligue 1 teams do not own their stadiums or operate them exclusively and in the majority of cases, the stadium is owned by the local authority which manages its operation through a variety of management methods so infrastructure is always well managed regarding stadia surrounds.

personally for a club of our size we need to be able to get people there quickly, easily and have them spend time there within facilities to accommodate all tastes so yes we do need a system where we can move people in and out simply and efficiently and safely before games and after games with hubs for hospitality offering choice.

MOT

No worries - club and LCC should just support and deliver the Holborn viaduct project would be huge for the fans and locals

[WTF11]

FWIW, I suspect that nothing of any substance will develop regarding future access (via whatever means) to and from ER.

Why?

Take something HO said;

“Part of the charm of WR is its remote location – it’s one of the first landmarks you see too if you come into Leeds by train”. True, and I’d add that coming by motorway from the south has similar “benefits” by way of appearance, but….

It’s remoteness is (part) of its problem.

There are other observations about the area it sits in, being “unloved” in the modern-day parlance. Again, true. Before Leeds United became that entity, playing their games at ER, their predecessor Leeds City were a peripatetic club, playing just about wherever they could find a large enough open space.

The first game at ER played by the newly established Leeds United was a friendly on the 15th of November 1919.

My point here is that at that time, and for a LONG time afterwards, the area around ER was distinctly working class, hard-working, industrious, and appreciative (along with a large part of the wider Leeds population who were also largely working class) of the presence of a football league club in their city. Now, as others have said, the area is run down, a less than attractive mix of empty industrial units, car showrooms, dilapidated residential rentals etc, with the new West Yorkshire Constabulary building being a marked exception to the norm!

It's not an area that boasts “kerb appeal” to investors of the civic great and good, as (fairly) recent past history would suggest.

There have been several mentions of the Holbeck Viaduct project. This won’t happen, now or in the future. Why?
The project delivering an open day was “hoped for” for 2023. Clearly that didn’t happen. The “project” is a mish mash of well-intentioned amateurs, small businesses that see the advantage (just) to them, voluntary organisations with no real “clout”, etc. There is no executive sponsor, no civic involvement of any significance, and the major beneficiary, as HO has suggested, is Leeds United, who have shown zero interest in becoming involved (now or in the past).

Of as significant an issue as the project organisation (or lack of), are the major obstacles presented by the physical nature of the viaduct (stress on the word, “Viaduct”). It runs some 50 – 60 feet in the air, and the graphics produced by the project illustrate the issue of step free access very clearly (if inadvertently). Holbeck Viaduct is a very different proposition to the The Monk Bridge Viaduct which delivered a “park-like environment” with good access and well-landscaped grounds, developed from a disused Victorian railway bridge. Importantly in the context of ER, it was developed with no significant role as a pedestrian route envisaged. Presumably this is at least in part responsible for the lack of engagement in the project by LUFC

It may be that .councillor Pryor & Angela Barnicle at City Development will express genuine, if guarded interest in what might be done to alleviate the inevitable challenges of stadium access, but I wouldn’t be holding my breath.

I suspect that LCC Highways, whilst voicing support for the ER redevelopment, are arming themselves with all the counter arguments that are likely to be required when reality meets the paper version.

Back to ERs location, and the difficulty it presents as a site for redevelopment were UFC to find a suitable site elsewhere. Unlike most of the clubs who have relocated to pastures new and financing a significant proportion of the development costs by selling prime residential/retail real estate, LUFC has something of a millstone to deal with. Take a drones eye view of the stadium and its surrounds and ask yourself, would you want to put your money into making it an attractive place to live/work/play?

PS, Reference to mass transit in Mrs Os most recent post?

As someone who has worked closely with the likes of TFL (London) and TfGM) Manchester, the likelihood of “the political leaders (putting) the infrastructure of a mass transit system in place” is cloud cuckoo land. Since the tram network was removed, Leeds has no background of ever having done even a feasibility study of the implementation of a mass transit system similar to that in Manchester, and the situation in London is of far greater magnitude and complexity. Even the very “simple” tram system in Croydon took decades to plan and implement. If Mr Lowy made that statement with a serious expectation that it would stir up some kind of progress, he is delusional.