St James' Park

[OpenC]

3 minutes ago, TheBrownBottle said:

The arena is roughly the same distance from the city centre as SJP

 

Technically true but on the ground it feels a different story. SJP is literally minutes away from the Gate for example. Riverside area is literally minutes away from Newcastle College and the Probation office

[Disco]

Just now, OpenC said:

 

Are there many precedents for building stadia in that sort of area and the 'have to redevelop the whole area' thing actually coming to pass? I don't actually know. How did it work out at Sunlun, though?

 

I'm not arsed about the away fan experience one little bit

Away fan section is far too nice already. Ideally it shouldn’t have a roof, seats, only sell bottles of water for £50 and have a single leaky bucket as a bog.

[Disco]

As I’ve said before if they built at the arena a good idea would be to put boats on from the little marina next to the Tyne Bridge. Also sling a car park on the other side of the river in Teams for the excuse to build a new bridge.

[ponsaelius]

7 minutes ago, TheBrownBottle said:

The arena is roughly the same distance from the city centre as SJP

 

I disagree, personally. Obviously there is semantics of where you say is the 'centre' but SJP is closer to the traditional urban centre of Grainger Town/Monument while that area is further away and definitely feels more peripheral. Obviously redeveloping it as has been intended for years naturally draws it closer to the city by expanding westwards down the river. But that is part of my reservations. Any new development there will feel a modern extension of the city in regenerating old industrial land - while SJP feels right in the heart of the historic core because it actually is. This is personal preference to what I like about football stadia - and my natural apprehension to any new build.

[Kid Icarus]

11 minutes ago, TheBrownBottle said:

The arena is roughly the same distance from the city centre as SJP

SJP is in the city centre really, it's not a distance from it. 

[OpenC]

2 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

SJP is in the city centre really, it's not a distance from it. 

 

Aye, that's probably the best way to think about it

[Stifler]

11 minutes ago, OpenC said:

 

Are there many precedents for building stadia in that sort of area and the 'have to redevelop the whole area' thing actually coming to pass? I don't actually know. How did it work out at Sunlun, though?

 

I'm not arsed about the away fan experience one little bit

Well that’s the thing. Sunderland’s stadium never got that development, and is only getting it now. So for 30 years it has been described as a generic flat pack stadium, in a shit area.

 

We would want better than that, and I’m not just on about for away fans, I’m on about the home fans as well. Would you want to be going to your turnstile opposite Arena car wash?

[OpenC]

No, but I think that's what would probably happen. That's why I brought it up.

 

 

Edited August 12, 2023 by OpenC

[TheBrownBottle]

I’ll get pedantic  

 

 

(yes, I know the Quayside isn’t really the city centre )

 

Though the arena would be closer to most of the city’s watering holes.  Not sure what being closer to Eldon Square means in terms of a matchday experience. 

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I think if they decide on a new stadium, it would be a very lucky escape to get the arena site. So many worse possibilities. 
 

The way the train passes the Emirates is really cool, so that would be nice too. 
 

Obviously would prefer to stay put but being able to build a stadium without closing the existing one must be pretty attractive. 

[OpenC]

[mattypnufc]

If it’s any help, that entire area is already planned and ready for redevelopment. I should know as it’s my organisation who’ve helped get developers onboard for the land. 

[Kid Icarus]

That map must have been done before Northumberland Street became the city's tertiary sector CBD.

 

Yes, I did GCSE Geography.

 

 

Edited August 12, 2023 by Kid Icarus

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Monument is the real city centre. 

[OptimusSlime]

That area down by the arena is grim - you can’t wait to get away from it if you ever go to an event at the arena.  No amount of shiny new buildings I suspect would make me want to spend time there.  I can’t say I ever fancy a walk around e.g . the redeveloped brewery/science city area and you could tell me there is a great bar or coffee place there and I wouldn’t bother as it’s soulless. 

 

Hoping and expecting expansion in some way and that we avoid joining the list of clubs who have left their historic ground for a stadium.

 

I went to Old Trafford for the England match a few months ago, had never been there before but you could feel the history of the ground(which I would add is worse in a whole host of ways then current SJP).  Conversely when went to Wembley it felt like the Metro Centre.

 

Appreciate I may be in a minority but I am passionately, unconditionally against leaving SJP.

[Disco]

Newcastle fans drinking down the scene before going to watch a Saudi owned club. 
 

Journalists heads exploding AOTS.

[Stifler]

6 minutes ago, TheBrownBottle said:

Not sure what being closer to Eldon Square means in terms of a matchday experience. 

It’s close to the cities two busiest local bus stations, and is close to 2 of the busiest city centre Metro stations.

[TheBrownBottle]

7 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

That map must have been done before Northumberland Street became the city's tertiary sector CBD.

 

Yes, I did GCSE Geography.

 

 

 

As did I  - and I was only kidding (Google maps isn’t any source of truth)

[TheBrownBottle]

8 minutes ago, OpenC said:

Yeah, I know.  I was kidding  

[TheBrownBottle]

What I will say though is that part of the takeover push was the notion of ‘regional investment’, if I remember correctly.  Tarting up that part of the city wouldn’t be the worst way of doing that.  

[Tiresias]

As i understand it basically the Reubens are in charge of that side of it with Saudi backing

[Wandy]

Having listened to Eales on the radio on Thursday, and watched the first episode of the Amazon documentary, I'm fairly sure that they have no plans to relocate away from the current area of the city centre. Eales was waxing lyrical about the cathedral on the hill, and I think they do truly place a lot of significance on that prime location, so I think they will try everything they can to get 65k out of the current footprint. If that's not possible then they may have a Leazes Park contingency plan. I just don't see the Arena site happening, and I'm less sure that I'd want it anymore tbh.

[TomYam]

53 minutes ago, TheBrownBottle said:

The arena is roughly the same distance from the city centre as SJP

From the Civic Centre to the Swing Bridge and Plummer Tower to the Discovery Museum, I guess the geographical centre of Newcastle would be Bigg Market/Grainger Street. 

On that basis, St.James's Park is probably abiut a 2 minute walk closer to the centre than the Arena.

The Arena site 'feels' a lot more remote because it's undeveloped/underdeveloped.

A stadium with football campus,  infrastructural enhancements and landacaping, would transform the local economy and change people's perception of that area entirely.

[RS]

1 hour ago, Groundhog63 said:

MBS? 

Yep. Met him through work.  Was incredibly engaged about the whole NUFC project.  

[manorpark]

28 minutes ago, TomYam said:

From the Civic Centre to the Swing Bridge and Plummer Tower to the Discovery Museum, I guess the geographical centre of Newcastle would be Bigg Market/Grainger Street. 

On that basis, St.James's Park is probably abiut a 2 minute walk closer to the centre than the Arena.

The Arena site 'feels' a lot more remote because it's undeveloped/underdeveloped.

A stadium with football campus,  infrastructural enhancements and landacaping, would transform the local economy and change people's perception of that area entirely.

 

St James' Park is in the City Centre, whereas Newcastle Arena is "on the edge" of the City Centre and feels more remote and more like it is actually outside of the city centre for the reason TomYam mentioned.