O/T Whyndyke Stadium

strahovski

strahovski

Well-known member
Just watching the video again and despite 'them' being the main proponents of it, it seemed a semi-reasonable proposal. The hotel looked cool, the stadium would back then have been pretty decent (options for conferencing etc.) and the proposed housing right up the Oystains street. The only downers being developing green land (isn't a new village coming soon there now?) and moving away from Bloomfield Rd.

I know there has been a lot of scoffing and hilarity (rightly so!) over the years but what were the serious and real reasons this never got going properly? I remember, possibly from early AVFTT days, that someone owned a 'strip' through the middle of Whyndyke and was unwilling to sell it or something? Was he simply a dreamer without the funding? Was there anything else? All I can find is an old Independent article on Google that Owen 'halted' the deal last min due to the terms....

I believe the video is from vitals so ta to them! Also lovely to hear Matthews voice the absolute legend 😍

 
The farmer held the Os to ransom over a strip of land that would have prevented the profitable housing development (the bit Owen was really interested in).

I have no doubt if it had got over that the stadium but would have been descaled and the housing upscale during the development.

The International Coliseum in the other hand....
 
Only downer being built on green land,if it were wainhomes,kensington it wouldnt be a downer for many. See there is more new developments going up on the moss,is that a downer for you.
 
I remember being at a Radio Lancs fans forum in the Tangerine Club, I think Owen was sewing bags at the time, and Vicky was on the stage bad mouthing the farmer for causing delays.


Then, up steps the bloke in question... "Hello, My names Mr ... (I cant remember his name) and I live at a place called Whyndyke Farm" !!.

It was priceless 😁
 
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todayistheday said:
Only downer being built on green land,if it were wainhomes,kensington it wouldnt be a downer for many. See there is more new developments going up on the moss,is that a downer for you.
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tbh titd I dont really like it but I suppose anywhere there is concrete was once green land. The houses have to be built somewhere..... we have to live!
 
I remember him walking on the pitch in front of South Stand to sign the “go ahead” for the stadium and that was in the Spring of 1996.
At least 4 years after the video.
Of course this could have all been bull to gain public support on his imminent trial.
 
Im not against any development,its about time we utilized most of our open green land in some way. Wind turbines,solar farms and new housing.
 
Pauls_Boutique said:
Wasn’t it all agreed for the farm then Owen at the last minute tried to drastically reduce the price and the owner of the farm told him where to go?
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Paul, wasn't access roads something to do with it as well, OO basically tried moving the goalposts in his favour I think, a bit like he tried to do to Valeri after promotion to the Premier League.

You cant win 'em all Owen, in fact come to think of it, you cant win any off them 🤣
 
Potts Must Go said:
Paul, wasn't access roads something to do with it as well, OO basically tried moving the goalposts in his favour I think, a bit like he tried to do to Valeri after promotion to the Premier League.

You cant win 'em all Owen, in fact come to think of it, you cant win any off them 🤣
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Could be that. My Mrs told me years ago that she went to school with daughter of the bloke who owned the farm and when everything had been agreed Owen then tried to rip him off.

I’ll ask her again later if she can remember the full story. Assuming I can get a word in of course 😂
 
Potts Must Go said:
I remember being at a Radio Lancs fans forum in the Tangerine Club, I think Owen was sewing bags at the time, and Vicky was on the stage bad mouthing the farmer for causing delays.


Then, up steps the bloke in question... "Hello, My names Mr ... (I cant remember his name) and I live at a place called Whyndyke Farm" !!.

It was priceless 😁
Click to expand...
Kirkham
 
strahovski said:
Just watching the video again and despite 'them' being the main proponents of it, it seemed a semi-reasonable proposal. The hotel looked cool, the stadium would back then have been pretty decent (options for conferencing etc.) and the proposed housing right up the Oystains street. The only downers being developing green land (isn't a new village coming soon there now?) and moving away from Bloomfield Rd.

I know there has been a lot of scoffing and hilarity (rightly so!) over the years but what were the serious and real reasons this never got going properly? I remember, possibly from early AVFTT days, that someone owned a 'strip' through the middle of Whyndyke and was unwilling to sell it or something? Was he simply a dreamer without the funding? Was there anything else? All I can find is an old Independent article on Google that Owen 'halted' the deal last min due to the terms....

I believe the video is from vitals so ta to them! Also lovely to hear Matthews voice the absolute legend 😍

Click to expand...
It wasn't in Blackpool either. Fylde Council jurisdiction.
 
Owen obviously didn’t help himself with Fylde BC by being as obstructive as he was with the moss link road. Thankfully the new owner of Lytham Hall farm has been a lot more helpful 👍🏼
 
bfcfan 1960 said:
wasnt the video show for the bloomfield rd development not the windyke farm stadium
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Oh is the above vid a different proposal? I only ever remember the Whyndyke 'coliseum' with a siding roof... but maybe I'm getting confused? Wouldn't be the first time for me!

I do remember in more recent years a proposal to move the training ground to somewhere at the back of Lytham. Quelle surprise that went nowhere other than a driveway into a field of sheep 🤦‍♂️
 
I can't remember but how was OO going to finance it?
The cost must have been far more than OO could put his hands on.
 
Davepick said:
I can't remember but how was OO going to finance it?
The cost must have been far more than OO could put his hands on.
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You might have hit the nail on the head there Dave.
I worked at Norweb/UU in the 90's, and I remember a speculative quotation was provided for a new electricity supply to the site. The quote wasn't too high because there was sufficient capacity at Peel Primary Substation (Peel Road), but there was no response within the time frame of the quote (no idea if it was due to dithering or land disputes). By the time a second quote was requested, the capacity had been mostly taken up by new buildings (B&Q might have been one but I can't remember the time-lines very well); I wasn't directly involved but that would have significantly increased the costs. Not ITK but that could have been a factor?
 
strahovski said:
Just watching the video again and despite 'them' being the main proponents of it, it seemed a semi-reasonable proposal. The hotel looked cool, the stadium would back then have been pretty decent (options for conferencing etc.) and the proposed housing right up the Oystains street. The only downers being developing green land (isn't a new village coming soon there now?) and moving away from Bloomfield Rd.

I know there has been a lot of scoffing and hilarity (rightly so!) over the years but what were the serious and real reasons this never got going properly? I remember, possibly from early AVFTT days, that someone owned a 'strip' through the middle of Whyndyke and was unwilling to sell it or something? Was he simply a dreamer without the funding? Was there anything else? All I can find is an old Independent article on Google that Owen 'halted' the deal last min due to the terms....

I believe the video is from vitals so ta to them! Also lovely to hear Matthews voice the absolute legend 😍

Click to expand...
Never any intention to build it, it was a ruse to get his hands on the land
 
In April 1986, pre-Oyston (Ken Chadwick Chairman, Rashid Gibrail Director), there was "The Way Ahead" document, which described a development from Bloomfield Rd to the Borough Park Rugby Ground, with a Superdrome stadium on the rugby ground for football and rugby, and hotel/conference/cinema between there and Bloomfield Road.
 
Potts Must Go said:
I remember being at a Radio Lancs fans forum in the Tangerine Club, I think Owen was sewing bags at the time, and Vicky was on the stage bad mouthing the farmer for causing delays.


Then, up steps the bloke in question... "Hello, My names Mr ... (I cant remember his name) and I live at a place called Whyndyke Farm" !!.

It was priceless 😁
Click to expand...
Remember that
The guy from Brighton was involved as well
Wasn't it at the No1 as was ( the casino ) ?
 
Limechase said:
Allegedly the Architect didn't get paid either 😕
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He said he didn't and it nearly ruined him especially having given up his practice to set it up. He died a few years ago and was a big friend of SJA.
 
Quite sad really watching that. But as said, this isn't about Whyndyke Farm. Right at the start mention is made about one section being compatible with the housing down Seymour Road - which is opposite the South Stand, by the Travelodge.
 
TwelveAngryMen said:
Remember that
The guy from Brighton was involved as well
Wasn't it at the No1 as was ( the casino ) ?
Click to expand...

Definitely Tangerine Club. Megson Phelan, VO and that Brighton bloke on the panel. Megson gave someone the Managers job for a day, and Phelan sat there all night in virtual silence .
 
The model with the 'retractable roof' did look superb at the time.
I remember starting to feel as if the fans were being duped when Owen Oyston tried to get the Football League to allow Pool to play on Borough Park, whilst selling Bloomfield Road and using the money to help fund the new stadium on Whyndyke Farm.
Thank goodness it wasn't passed because of segregation problems at Borough Park, because we would probably have had to go down the path of ground sharing and all the problems that would bring once the development of the area and new Odeon was built. It was about that time when I had a horrible feeling that Owen Oyston was in fact a Preston fan, and that he wasn't serious about building a new stadium for BFC. That feeling has never gone away, and I go into a cold shudder when I think of the situation we would've been in had the Football Authorities said yes to us playing at Borough Park.
 
Pipe dream with intentions of selling the land as it was sought after then.
Remember we had to cough up to buy Andy Watson in 1993 and his showboat appearance on the pitch in 1996 to sign for new stadium.
 
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