Let us kick start the stadium dream again (From Bucks Free Press)

First off. The proposal was based on the destruction of a working historical airfield.
Secondly. The proposal was to use taxpayers money to finance a private company venture.

Had the proposal to build this stadium at another location, using private funding, then it would have received far more support than it did.

There are a good number of other locations around Wycombe, with potentially better access and without the need to destroy an existing facility.

Also, I fail to see how you can say, “I know for a fact that the majority of people that live in the Wycombe area support this project”. There were two votes on this. The first one was rigged and flawed in sooo many ways. The second vote came out against the stadium project.

Place your stadium elsewhere using private funds, and you will see your support grow.

I stopped reading after 'you people'...

What complete and utter rubbish. The plan was for the local tax payers of Wycombe to pay for a STADIUM and a few pitches for a football club and rugby club owned and very badly run by a would-be property developer.
.
However, I believe that the local tax payers are prepared to support and fund a new Handy Cross Sports Centre where we will have 'world class sporting facilities, business facilities, hotel, etc', in fact all the facilities that you mention other than football and rugby - those can still be provided by Adams Park which is a perfectly adequate venue for Wanderers and Wasps, but perhaps not for Steve Hayes!

'A Voter' sums up why this fantastical stream of pie-in-the-sky nonsense from Mr Buckle is completely wrong.
-
Factual errors abound, as well as equally glaring omissions of inconvenient and downright deluded conjecture. (at least there is not any of the 'canning the Booker stadium is made Wycombe lose 6-0 to Huddersfield', mainly due the recent run of good results!)
-
If I had time I'd put a full response up (which I'm sure someone will). However, I will be writing a letter in response for the next issue as such nonsense and flagrant revisionism cannot be allowed to go unchallenged.

'has made' - more haste, less sense...

Whether Mr Buckle likes it or not, it was the democratic process that won the day for this ridiculous development proposal.

The figures did not stack up and the council could not justify the spending of £25 million on a private venture.

Steve Hayes lost the goodwill of many supporters and residents by trying to impose the development on the town rather than properly consult and gain the trust and confidence of those who would be affected by this scheme.

One man's "dream" is the rest of the District's nightmare!
.
In January a similar letter was published in the BFP by...."Eric Buckle, Stokenchurch " (http://www.thisislo
callondon.co.uk/spor
t/football/leaguetwo
/wanderers/wycombewa
nderers/9481917.Blam
e_the_council__says_
a_lifelong_Blues_fan
/) .
.
It's a pity that he's unable to accept the facts that were laid out originally about why the project wasn't viable:
- Ratepayers shouldn't be expected to spend £25M+ on subsidising the dreams of a private individual.
- The Clubs were unable to provide evidence to the Council that they could raise their own funds
- The Sports Village wasn't part of the plan. Indeed amateur clubs would have needed to raise their own financing
- If the Clubs needed to increase capacity then this could be achieved at Adams Park
- The position of a Club in the league is based on how many games they win, not how good the ground is.
- The village wouldn't have consisted of affordable houses. There would have been some "affordable" houses but only because there's an existing planning requirement.
.
In response to his claim "I know for a fact that the majority of people that live in the Wycombe area support this project but you won’t stand up and be counted".
.
How does he substantiate this "fact"? WDC has a population of around 164,000. Is he asserting that he personally spoke to over 82,000 people? .
.
He then states "but you won’t stand up and be counted" and "My question to you is how badly do you want this? If you miss this chance you won’t get another one. It will be gone forever. ".
.
So he himself is suggesting that the people who he claims were in favour weren't actually that bothered!
.
It's a pity that he hasn't listened to the rational thinking of the WDC Cabinet, and the additional scrutiny performed by the Task & Finish Group and Improvement & Review Committee. It's a shame that he hasn't read (and accepted) the reasons why the business case made the project a non-starter. It's a pity that he didn't take on board the feedback that his previous letter generated. It's a shame that he clearly doesn't understand what the project was about and what it included or excluded. It's time for him to accept that the right decision was made.

Epic, Eric, absolutely epic.

An epic load of twaddle that is.

Continuing your "You had a chance..." theme:
You had a chance to oust those who have enjoyed using the facilities at Booker Air Park for years.
You had a chance (WWFC) to give up ownership of a ground, and the current income from Wasps, and to pay rent instead.
You had a chance (Taxpayers and WDC) to subsidise (aka gamble on) a private venture, which currently cannot even break even, and in which attendances and hence income is falling - not least because we're all broke, which a nice new stadium will NOT fix.
You had a chance (WDC) to plough yet more of our more money into investigating a scheme that does not seem to fulfil the exceptional circumstances REQUIRED before green belt land can be build on - since WWFC owns a great ground already it cannot be demonstrated that it NEEDS a new one.
In short Eric, why not epically address these issues before spouting on (again) about what an opportunity has been missed. You clearly believe an opportunity has been missed, but you do NOTHING to address the concerns of those who viewed it as a very risky venture indeed.

Long letter...short memory!

What planet do you live on Mr Buckle - although a handful of local councillors wanted this 'Rugby' stadium over 90% of the local population did not! Tell me why thousands of pounds of local taxes should pay for something that is not wanted or needed for the real locals! The only people who wanted this are those who would benefit financially at the detriment of the local country side and the people who live locally!
It was proven LONDON Wasps or Wycombe Wanderers rarely if ever fill their current stadium to capacity - a new stadium will have minimal affect on how people attend! Even then they generally come from out of the area, off the motorway straight to the stadium, how does this benefit the area - more cars on our roads that cannot cope now, arrogant people parking everyway causing problems for local residents!
Let it be built in Stokenchurch if you want it so much - I bet you would think twice then wouldn't you!

WDC could give permission to build the Stadium on Hedgepit Wood. That way, Stokenchurch would get the benefit of nearly all the visitors to the stadium passing through the town on match days, and bringing in all that extra business to the local community every week.

Of course, the stadium will also need to ensure that additional plans are given the go ahead for at least 600 new affordable houses.

Mr Buckle is back! And with more of the same ill thought out twaddle!

His latest missive still fails to address any of the concerns raised during the campaign.

He has also continually failed to address the areas cited by Cllr Alex Collingwood as reasons for ultimately rejecting the proposal, namely: (1) funding ability; (2) planning consent; and (3) long term viability.

Maybe in his next letter Mr Buckle could respond to these issues providing facts rather than bluster to support his position?

Plus ça change... wrote:
I stopped reading after 'you people'...

A wise decision - it got worse - but I read it and am now in a position to criticise it from personal knowledge.

gpn01 wrote:
One man's "dream" is the rest of the District's nightmare!
.
In January a similar letter was published in the BFP by...."Eric Buckle, Stokenchurch " (http://www.thisislo

callondon.co.uk/spor

t/football/leaguetwo

/wanderers/wycombewa

nderers/9481917.Blam

e_the_council__says_

a_lifelong_Blues_fan

/) .
.
It's a pity that he's unable to accept the facts that were laid out originally about why the project wasn't viable:
- Ratepayers shouldn't be expected to spend £25M+ on subsidising the dreams of a private individual.
- The Clubs were unable to provide evidence to the Council that they could raise their own funds
- The Sports Village wasn't part of the plan. Indeed amateur clubs would have needed to raise their own financing
- If the Clubs needed to increase capacity then this could be achieved at Adams Park
- The position of a Club in the league is based on how many games they win, not how good the ground is.
- The village wouldn't have consisted of affordable houses. There would have been some "affordable" houses but only because there's an existing planning requirement.
.
In response to his claim "I know for a fact that the majority of people that live in the Wycombe area support this project but you won’t stand up and be counted".
.
How does he substantiate this "fact"? WDC has a population of around 164,000. Is he asserting that he personally spoke to over 82,000 people? .
.
He then states "but you won’t stand up and be counted" and "My question to you is how badly do you want this? If you miss this chance you won’t get another one. It will be gone forever. ".
.
So he himself is suggesting that the people who he claims were in favour weren't actually that bothered!
.
It's a pity that he hasn't listened to the rational thinking of the WDC Cabinet, and the additional scrutiny performed by the Task & Finish Group and Improvement & Review Committee. It's a shame that he hasn't read (and accepted) the reasons why the business case made the project a non-starter. It's a pity that he didn't take on board the feedback that his previous letter generated. It's a shame that he clearly doesn't understand what the project was about and what it included or excluded. It's time for him to accept that the right decision was made.

'It's a pity that he's unable to accept the facts that were laid out originally about why the project wasn't viable:'
/
This phrase really says completely all there is to say about Mr Buckle's letter - anything more is otiose. (Like the letter that inspired it.)

(None of 'gpn01's letter was wasted but that phrase said the lot.)

The Madejski stadium in Reading, dual purpose football and rugby. Hotel complex, business conference facilities and a real asset to the town. Readings economy is significantly boosted by the visiting sports fans and the facility has created hundreds of employment opportunities. Just off a main motorway. Why cant Wycombe do the same ? Can someone at WDC show some innovation and grab the opportunity hosting Wasps has afforded you.

This is completely different to what was planned for here then and presumably Madejsky Stadium is not half-empty on game days. How do we know Readings economy is significantly boosted by the visiting sports fans and the facility has created hundreds of employment opportunities and would that have applied here?

Des Healy wrote:
The Madejski stadium in Reading, dual purpose football and rugby. Hotel complex, business conference facilities and a real asset to the town. Readings economy is significantly boosted by the visiting sports fans and the facility has created hundreds of employment opportunities. Just off a main motorway. Why cant Wycombe do the same ? Can someone at WDC show some innovation and grab the opportunity hosting Wasps has afforded you.

Did the Madejski stadium destroy a thriving historical airfield and associated community?

Was the Madejski stadium funded by the taxpayer, to benefit one private individual businessman?

Looks like the Club has some other problems with two directors resigning on Friday over regulatory finance filing concerns http://www.wycombewa
ndererstrust.com/31/
03/2012/trust-board-
directors-resign-fro
m-wwfc-main-board/

Des Healy wrote:
The Madejski stadium in Reading, dual purpose football and rugby. Hotel complex, business conference facilities and a real asset to the town. Readings economy is significantly boosted by the visiting sports fans and the facility has created hundreds of employment opportunities. Just off a main motorway. Why cant Wycombe do the same ? Can someone at WDC show some innovation and grab the opportunity hosting Wasps has afforded you.

Madejski has been trying to offload the club and the stadium for years, he, unlike Hayes though, the money to cover the LOSSES. Also,that taxpayers have had to fund at massive cost upgrades to the existing M4 junction, that the A33 comes to a standstill when along with the mass exodus of fans, that people can't park in the local costco and other areas because fans have parked there, doesn't lend any support or credibility to your assertion that Reading's economy is or has been significantly boosted.

Early April Fool or trolling.

This must be Steve (the sweaty headed one) writing this? No other person can be as gulible as clarke (**** I said its name) can they?

usvelt wrote:
This must be Steve (the sweaty headed one) writing this? No other person can be as gulible as clarke (**** I said its name) can they?

Is **** a reference to the Blogger of Evil?

Hey Mr Healy - the Madejski stadium and accompanying complex was not built directly on peoples doorsteps - therefore consideration for the local infrastructure was not an issue! If you have been out there this would be very obvious! The road system in and around the Madejski is significantly supperior and more modern than the roads in and around Booker which are over 90% residential! On pure logicl which the Rugby stadium supporters seem to lack the Booker Air Field (which is still active) is NOT a viable location for any such plan!

Des Healy wrote:
I'm a member of the local population and i'm all for a new stadium. Lets have a sensible debate and see some options on the table. Handy Cross anyone?

Stokenchurch would be ideal.

Yeah - we need a sensible debate - why doesn't ivor do a blog about it?

(Cue: 'Indeed I might well ...')