The stadium is privately owned - only ground rent being paid to the council. The council has no say in events that take place within the stadium.
I know that it would take an extraordinary set of changes to take place in the case of the soccer club for this to happen, but personally I'd love to see them wave two fingers at the Council/Higgs/ACL and move to the Butts for a couple of years. There's stacks of room there on the west side for a substantial temporary grandstand - seated or preferably standing), which would probably cost, what, a couple of months' rent at current rate? (Surely no more, but I stand to be corrected). The existing very comfortable stand seats over 3000, so with the 'new' stand and the limited standing at each end we're probably looking at around 10000 capacity. Enough in the short term at that level, I feel..
A season of consolidation in the third division (showing my age here...) and playing in front of a packed-to-the-rafters ground developing a real atmosphere unlike currently (Ricoh; no contest). Plenty of good pubs nearby (Ricoh; no contest) and a city-centre location (again, no contest).
The following year, really go for it with all the cash accrued from not lining the pockets of the council, and then let's see what they are willing to negotiate after two years of no regular sport in their sports stadium(?).
The club wins; Cov RFC wins (they are currently well-run and looking to move back up through the leagues with new finance coming in very soon. More from the rent CCFC could comfortably pay would go a long way in Rugby Union.
I see no losers in the long term (except for, hopefully, S**U).
Naive? Probably!
But I can dream, hey? :thinking about: