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This afternoon we were expecting news of the plans the club had for Turf Moor. We'd all heard rumours, a potential new cricket field stand, new dressing rooms between the Longside and Jimmy McIlroy stands, a hotel and even a new cricket pavilion for the next door neighbours.
For the past few months we've been trying to determine which parts of it were just wild rumour, which had some truth, and which of these things were reality. Today's announcement left me speechless, simply unable to take the whole thing in as the club confirmed just about every rumour I'd heard and then, for me, put the icing well and truly on the cake with news of a major investment at Gawthorpe to take the club to youth academy status.
Spending my early years as a Claret in the 1960s youth development has always been something very close to my heart and having spent the last year raising money for Vince Overson's team it was for me potentially the most exciting news of the lot.
I don't intend going into any detail on the plans, instead I'll publish the club's release in its entirety. One thing I would like to do is hear your views, just please EMAIL them to us, be they positive or negative, and we'll include them on the site. Just tell us what you think of the plans, and feel free to go into as little or as much detail as you wish.
Burnley Football Club is set for a massive change - read below and take it all in.
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MASTERPLAN FOR BURNLEY SPORTS & LEISURE VILLAGE
Longside Properties and Burnley Football Club are proud and delighted to announce an innovative and futuristic £20million redevelopment of Turf Moor and its surrounding area, to create a community sports and leisure village incorporating major improvements to facilities at Burnley Cricket Club.
The unique offer of the regenerated cricket club, alongside the football club and its Leisure Centre will enable the Community Sports Trust to deliver a vision to Burnley with a sports led approach to integrating the communities in the town.
Over the next three years, Turf Moor will be transformed into a modern, all-seater stadium holding approximately 22,000 fans and encompassing a whole host of social, leisure and commercial ventures to become a sporting and enterprise hub and breathe new life into the local community.
As a result, the 'Burnley Sports and Leisure Village' will host a new hotel and restaurant complex, Business Centre, multi-screen cinema, supporters' bar and a new retail sports store offering a wide range of sports goods.
In addition, the Football Club plans to invest in a premier Football Academy facility at Gawthorpe to revive its reputation as a youth developing club.
There are six phases to the massive redevelopment progamme, many running concurrently.
These include:
A new, relocated players' dressing rooms and hospitality block at Turf Moor
The construction of a 2,500-seat stand to replace the David Fishwick (Cricket Field) stand, incorporating a new hotel, restaurant, Business Centre and cricket pavilion.
A multi-screen digital cinema being built into a new build elevation to the Bob Lord Stand
A new, dedicated supporters' bar and restaurant. A new, enlarged club-branded retail sports store on the approach to Turf Moor.
The creation of a Burnley FC Academy at the Gawthorpe training ground in Padiham.
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Phase One (2008)
The new players' dressing rooms and hospitality block will be built between the Jimmy McIlroy and James Hargreaves Stands at a cost of approximately £1.25m. This three tier, glass-fronted building will be the hub of match days and house Premiership facilities and a fully furnished media suite.
Phase Two (Summer 2008)
The ageing David Fishwick (Cricket Field) Stand is to be demolished and replaced by a £10million, single tier stand housing corporate boxes, a hotel, business centre, gymnasium and cricket pavilion within the new stand. A multi-storey car park is to be built on Harry Potts Way, with access to a concourse linking all amenities.
Phase Three (Summer 2008)
The building of a two storey retail sports store on the approach to Turf Moor on Harry Potts Way. This will replace the existing club superstore which will be later redeveloped. Harry Potts Way will benefit from the planting of trees to freshen and enliven the approach from the town centre. This tree-lined avenue is to be extended down to Centenary Way with the financial help and support of Burnley Borough Council and Government agencies.
Phase Four (Summer 2008)
The exciting development of a Burnley Football Club Academy at the Gawthorpe training ground in Padiham, costing around £2million. This state-of-the-art facility will enable the club to attract and further nurture young talent to compete with the biggest clubs in England.
Phase Five (Summer 2009)
The internal refurbishment and external redevelopment of the Bob Lord Stand at an estimated cost of £3.75million. The wooden seating is to be replaced and a new façade to the existing stand on Harry Potts Way will encompass a multi-screen digital cinema, restaurants, new club offices and modern hospitality suites.
Phase Six (Summer 2009)
A new £1million bar and restaurant for use by supporters is to be built on the site of the former club offices and shop, with commercial offices above.
Allied to the recently announced build in the Jimmy McIlroy Stand void, which commences shortly as an 'Enterprise Haven' for start-up businesses, these new developments, in conjunction with the Community Sports Trust, will transform Turf Moor into a thriving sports, entertainment, business and educational centre and help to regenerate the entire town.
The club intends to encourage start up businesses and academic bodies to expand within the new commercial offices and Business Centre to create a unique Enterprise Park.
The total cost of the above is approximately £20million and completion is estimated at Summer 2010
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What it means
For Burnley Football Club
Iconic new facilities for players and staff to take the club forward for the next 30 years.
For supporters
The demolition of the existing David Fishwick Stand means that from Summer 2008, visiting supporters will be housed in the Jimmy McIlroy Stand (lower). Therefore, Burnley supporters who currently occupy this area will next summer be relocated elsewhere inside the stadium at no extra cost.
Upon completion, Burnley supporters will revert back to the Jimmy McIlroy Stand (lower), with the new stand occupied by visiting fans.
For the community
More leisure facilities to rival the best, including a multi-screen digital cinema, hotel, gymnasium, retail superstore, dedicated supporters' bar and a re-generated cricket club. All of the above to complement the existing Leisure Centre, housed within the Community Sports Trust.
Provisions for the refurbishment of the Bob Lord Stand will be announced at a later date.
For businesses
Bigger and better modern accommodation, meeting rooms and major conferencing facilities to host corporate clients and business meetings for Burnley and surrounding districts. The newly built stand will also strengthen links with corporate clients through the inclusion of new executive boxes.
In pure planning policy terms, Turf Moor and Gawthorpe are allocated for sport and recreation uses in the relevant planning documents. Consequently, there is immediate support for the principle of maximising the potential of both of these existing facilities. Having said that, we recognise that the more commercial elements of our proposals need additional justification which focuses upon the delivery of the project as a whole and the need to maximise the potential of the ground, in particular, for the benefit of the supporters of the club and all residents of the town.
To date, our planning dialogue with the Council has focused upon scheme content but we have also recognised the importance of community dialogue and consultation before any Planning Applications are lodged. With that in mind, we have already begun to engage with certain key stakeholders and we intend to hold a more formal consultation event which will ensure that our immediate neighbours are given an early opportunity to comment upon our proposals.
Separate applications will cover our proposed redevelopment of Turf Moor and the creation of our new training / academy facilities at Gawthorpe. At this stage we would anticipate their submission around September so that we could be optimistic about securing a planning decision around the turn of the year.