jimmyhillsfanclub
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RUGBY club Wasps are in secret talks to build 240 homes on lucrative green land they have ‘acquired’ near to their planned training facility at the Higgs centre home of the Sky Blues’ youth academy, we can exclusively reveal.
The revelations follow negotiations with Coventry City Council over changing the ‘Local Plan’ blueprint for future development with a view to obtaining planning permission for the entire 240 homes plan, at the part Green Belt site off London Road/Allard Way.
The council has already provided support for Wasps’ proposals in a written ‘Statement of Common Ground’ (SOCG).
Speculation on a Coventry City fans’ website in June about a rumoured sale of the site for a Wasps academy led some to claim it was further evidence of favourable council treatment since the Ricoh Arena sale to the former London Wasps two years ago.
With around £35million of Wasps debt residing in a retail bond scheme, the housing development could potentially provide Wasps with a long-term financial lifeline. It is unknown when discussions commenced over Wasps obtaining the land.
It is the type of non-sporting commercial development alongside owning a sporting facility that both Coventry City Football Club and Coventry Rugby Football Club have sought, to boost revenues for their playing teams and add value.
Plans advanced since last year for the two traditional city clubs to groundshare at Cov rugby’s expanded Butts Park Arena with potential commercial development nearby appear to remain one possibility.
We revealed a leaked council email proposed blocking any professional football at the Butts. And former Cov player and lawyer Chris Millerchip – who is linked with the council and Coventry sporting authorities though his financing of the ‘Coventry – A City of Rugby’ project – had been blocking a necessary transfer of the Butts head lease he owned. But a deal to transfer the head-lease to Cov rugby chairman Jon Sharp has finally been announced this week.
Full council planning permission has now been granted for Wasps to move into Sky Blues’ academy home at the Alan Higgs Centre in Allard Way next to the proposed housing development site, after the government and statutory consultee Sport England decided not to intervene.
Wasps’ homes plan appears in council-published planning documents but it has not been made clear that Wasps are behind the plan under a separate new company, WPS Trading Limited.
It was registered with Companies House in February this year. Documents show its only directors and shareholders are Wasps’ chairman Derek Richardson and chief executive David Armstrong.
The company’s registered address was changed in July this year to the Ricoh Arena from the Cambridgeshire address of financial company VCapital Advisory Limited.
A letter to the council’s planning department from Oxalis Planning, dated July 7 this year, states: “We act on behalf of WPS Trading Ltd who have recently acquired land off London Road, Coventry.”
It calls for alterations to the council’s draft ‘Local Plan’- which will govern how land is allocated for housing and other development over the next 20 years – with part of the land being in green belt and containing a listed building, a former Severn Trent pumping station.
The letter adds:”The site capacity could therefore be increased to approximately 240 homes.”
It also states: “The proposed (housing) allocation is, as currently proposed, divided in to two halves with a strip of land in the centre.
“This currently sits within the Green Belt (2001 CDP) but is proposed through the new Local Plan to be re-designated as part of the local green space network”.
At least part of the land was or is owned by Severn Trent Water.
Severn Trent in 2004 sought planning permission to build homes at the former pumping station land.
The letter and Statement of Common Ground document – providing council support for Wasps proposals to “assist” a planning inspector examining the draft Local Plan – are published on the council’s Local Plan website pages, and can be viewed from the links below.
Wasps homes letter
Wasps homes plan – Statement of Common Ground with council
moved it to the other thread as people were talking about it in there.Come back in here and chiefs post bemoaning CCC and wasps has disappeared too.
And strange that the council wouldn't let Severn Trent build on the land but are happy for Wasps to.I thought it was strange that Simon didn't push them on the Severn Trent land and it was left at "no comment"....
moved it to the other thread as people were talking about it in there.
Wonder if they purchased the land at a price reflecting the restrictions in place or a price appropriate to a site being developed for housing?
Of course not but I'm sure our local media, who have never done a deal with that same council to suppress stories for Wasps and the councils benefit will be thoroughly investigating the rapidly rising number of coincidences to ensure nothing untoward is going on.Surely no one here is saying that Wasps are demanding that SISU drop their legal action against the council in order to win a favourable planning decision (and hiding behind a shadow company to do so)?
Good Lord, that would be an outrage. Poor, loveable, nomadic Wasps and the upright, open, decent and honest people who run Coventry City Council in some sort of sly, corrupt, secretive plan. Why I can't believe anyone could even countenance the idea.
Of course not but I'm sure our local media, who have never done a deal with that same council to suppress stories for Wasps and the councils benefit will be thoroughly investigating the rapidly rising number of coincidences to ensure nothing untoward is going on.
moved it to the other thread as people were talking about it in there
And strange that the council wouldn't let Severn Trent build on the land but are happy for Wasps to.
Sort of like the telegraph are trying to do?wasn't saying they would make £48m stupot that's an example top line a developer might make before deducting costs, I would think WSP Trading will sell the site on with full planning permission and take a profit on that which could be millions
I doubt they would make anywhere near that much money. I remember watching a programme on BBC now long ago about building costs, etc of big housing providers and the profit wasnt as big as you'd think it would be.
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Roughly £100K to build a 4bed. detached.Read an article that stated a margin of 7% for a small house-builder and 11.7% for a large one, though read elsewhere that Barratts were looking at 40%. Though once permission is granted you might see Wasps sell the land on to an actual house-builder. I have no idea how much it would cost to build an estate of 240 houses including all the infrastructure work required (no doubt CCC will find something to help this part).
Does raise questions though doesn't it. If ST tried to do the same and were told it wasn't possible so sold the land at a lower value to Wasps and then once Wasps own it suddenly it can be built on and is worth far more.I would think WSP Trading will sell the site on with full planning permission and take a profit on that which could be millions
I would have much more problem with it had CCFC been refused then Wasps got the permission
as an aside what it does highlight is that by thinking unconventionally there are deals to be done that could benefit a sports team that do not centre on the stadium site.
In my opinion whoever the owners are at CCFC they need to think differently to the accepted norm from now on if they are to turn things around, but it will require the calculated risk of new capital and building partnerships
clearly they have a good working relationship, and work together, as to what or who they are conspiring against by this particular deal not sure unless you tie it to the AHC situation in some way. Both seem to gain by this proposal. Could there be secret handshakes on plans/deals, not naiive enough to think that couldn't be the case but we do not know there were - total transparency would be better but that's not the case for any of the parties involved in the greater saga of Coventry and the sports teams here - in reality business and property deals in particular rarely work that way
Taking several steps back then (a) it is similar to what has been proposed by CCFC/SISU on other potential sites and by CRFC at BPA (b) could be worth tens of millions (eg 240 houses at £200k each = £48m (c) helps the council hosing shortage (d) potentially knocks a big hole in the £34m debt that apparently threatens Wasps future, that is once ownership of WPS Trading Ltd switches to Wasps Holdings Ltd (presently owned by Richardson & Armstrong). Should it get approved - wont it need to go to Sec of State because it is (a) greenbelt & (b) flood plain?
People say things, circumstances/opportunities change, they say something different
In much the same way as the whole engineered pattern to break the Ricoh lease was quite clever then the potential for Wasps in this deal is also quite clever
Who owned the site whole site in the first place, Severn Trent or were others involved? If CCC land then sale value could be challenged but it has not been removed from green belt yet so I doubt there is a premium for potential planning
Couple of interesting developments today, and delivered by the local reporters in a professional way
So the council are happy to work with private business even hedge funds but not SISU. Do you ever wonder why its only SISU no one will deal with or are you always looking in a different direction?I doubt many will notice, everybody is looking in a different direction...
It's a fair point and is often glossed over on here. I heard a few years back (within the council and within Higgs) that I simply wouldn't believe some of things about Sisu and how they conducted business. The words I heard were 'shocking' and 'unbelievable.'So the council are happy to work with private business even hedge funds but not SISU. Do you ever wonder why its only SISU no one will deal with or are you always looking in a different direction?
So the council are happy to work with private business even hedge funds but not SISU. Do you ever wonder why its only SISU no one will deal with or are you always looking in a different direction?
There is back scratching going on.What about before SISU? What about things like the Open Doors stuff?
Let's not pretend there is massive amounts of back scratching going on and that everything is just co-incidence
What a shame we haven't got a relationship like this with the council