CONFRIMED: Latest rumours Confrimed as Unconfrimed

[ham]

Here's my conspiracy theory plan. Bring on the flames.

£55 million secured on the stadium by the bank ( or whatever the number is). Clearly worth more than the club is valued at because nobody is paying up, so the bank are being asked to accept a few million in lieu of their big bill. Hmph. They won't be happy.

But Kier and his mob want millions of new houses and accommodation. IF the club can be wiped out - AND the club don't own the stadium, then is there a scenario where the big development comes back into view. The club gets 'administrationed' so Dai get's nothing, and the developers are able to offer the bank much more for their £55million asset than any new football club owner is prepared to. Reading gets its shiny new homes, Dai gets nothing, bank gets more for it's shareholders. That community value protection thing would get quickly erased by the waft of 'wad' being waved at councillors.........

Yes I welcome this new theory. At least it gives us more people to be angry at than just a stupid little Chinese fukk who loves rolling the dice a bit too much.

[Crusader Royal]

Yes, land contmination issues makes the stadium site unsuitable for housing.
No way anyone is getting planning permission there!

Wish people would get off this particular unsubstantiated speculation/scaremongering. It is not going to happen.

what about royal elm park development? doesn't seem to be an issue with building houses conference centres hotels and christ know what on the car park...

There is less restriction on conference centre etc as people won't be living there.
The residential is located well over to the west of the site where I understand there is less risk.
The remediation from the former landfill site (the release of gas etc) is dealt with within the stadium complex. If you knocked it down then you're going to have to find another way of doing that, and you are not going to be allowed to do that next to residential properties.

There are pipes for release of methane in the main car park. I don’t think there is any kind of processing of gases done inside the stadium
I suspect more of an issue would be the fact that the ground obviously isn’t stable as you can see by the rather large amount of movement of the paving blocks around the ground.

[Linden Jones' Tash]

Interesting piece in this blog about the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) recently expanding something called the “Detailed emergency planning zone” (DEPZ) around its Burghfield site to include a chunk of South Reading, including the Mad Stad ...

https://readingonthames.com/2024/10/20/ ... an-update/

It implies that all the land around the Stadium is subject to this new expanded DEPZ and therefore AWE basically gets to decide what happens to it - notably in terms of potential housing....

As an non-expert, I have no idea what this means - but its another consideration I would imagine....

[windermereROYAL]

Interesting piece in this blog about the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) recently expanding something called the “Detailed emergency planning zone” (DEPZ) around its Burghfield site to include a chunk of South Reading, including the Mad Stad ...

https://readingonthames.com/2024/10/20/ ... an-update/

It implies that all the land around the Stadium is subject to this new expanded DEPZ and therefore AWE basically gets to decide what happens to it - notably in terms of potential housing....

As an non-expert, I have no idea what this means - but its another consideration I would imagine....

How long has this town been known as Reading on Thames? yes we know it`s on the river but never seen it called that before.

[Linden Jones' Tash]

Interesting piece in this blog about the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) recently expanding something called the “Detailed emergency planning zone” (DEPZ) around its Burghfield site to include a chunk of South Reading, including the Mad Stad ...

https://readingonthames.com/2024/10/20/ ... an-update/

It implies that all the land around the Stadium is subject to this new expanded DEPZ and therefore AWE basically gets to decide what happens to it - notably in terms of potential housing....

As an non-expert, I have no idea what this means - but its another consideration I would imagine....

How long has this town been known as Reading on Thames? yes we know it`s on the river but never seen it called that before.

It's not, its the name of a blog that curates planning and development stuff from around the town - often mining arcane bureaucratic information and distilling it into easier to understand write ups.

It's not me, btw - but it is a helpful resource when looking at local developments going on

[Brogue]

Are the AWE Reading fans?

[Sutekh]

Interesting piece in this blog about the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) recently expanding something called the “Detailed emergency planning zone” (DEPZ) around its Burghfield site to include a chunk of South Reading, including the Mad Stad ...

https://readingonthames.com/2024/10/20/ ... an-update/

It implies that all the land around the Stadium is subject to this new expanded DEPZ and therefore AWE basically gets to decide what happens to it - notably in terms of potential housing....

As an non-expert, I have no idea what this means - but its another consideration I would imagine....

How long has this town been known as Reading on Thames? yes we know it`s on the river but never seen it called that before.

It's not, its the name of a blog that curates planning and development stuff from around the town - often mining arcane bureaucratic information and distilling it into easier to understand write ups.

It's not me, btw - but it is a helpful resource when looking at local developments going on

Thank god, worrying to think they might be planning “do a Staines” in an effort to make Reading sound more up market.

[bcubed]

Interesting piece in this blog about the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) recently expanding something called the “Detailed emergency planning zone” (DEPZ) around its Burghfield site to include a chunk of South Reading, including the Mad Stad ...

https://readingonthames.com/2024/10/20/ ... an-update/

It implies that all the land around the Stadium is subject to this new expanded DEPZ and therefore AWE basically gets to decide what happens to it - notably in terms of potential housing....

As an non-expert, I have no idea what this means - but its another consideration I would imagine....

How long has this town been known as Reading on Thames? yes we know it`s on the river but never seen it called that before.

It's not, its the name of a blog that curates planning and development stuff from around the town - often mining arcane bureaucratic information and distilling it into easier to understand write ups.

It's not me, btw - but it is a helpful resource when looking at local developments going on

It looks very useful. Getting to grips with Local Plan issues is a job for the most dedicated in the community.

The blogger suggests the council needs to take a tougher line with AWE (when was the R dropped btw?) but once a matter of national security is cited that trumps everything.

[East Grinstead Royal]

…when was the R dropped btw?.

1987.

[bcubed]

…when was the R dropped btw?.

1987.

It was always AWRE to me
And haven't lived local since early 80s

Ta

[katweslowski]

Reading on Thames is a great guy, he's on Twitter and his posts are brilliant - as highlighted above, it's interesting to have very detailed plans, meetings and proposals put into an easy to digest article.

[Biscuit goalie]

That might be AWEsome

[Biscuit goalie]

Or are the selling secrets to the Chinese to secure the Mad Stad

[Clyde1998]

Interesting piece in this blog about the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) recently expanding something called the “Detailed emergency planning zone” (DEPZ) around its Burghfield site to include a chunk of South Reading, including the Mad Stad ...

https://readingonthames.com/2024/10/20/ ... an-update/

It implies that all the land around the Stadium is subject to this new expanded DEPZ and therefore AWE basically gets to decide what happens to it - notably in terms of potential housing....

As an non-expert, I have no idea what this means - but its another consideration I would imagine....

I mentioned this happen a while back, so a little surprised the media have only picked up on it now (maybe it's only been formally approved now): viewtopic.php?f=1&t=190499&p=5413234&hilit=AWE#p5413234

From what I've been told, it's almost impossible to get planning permission for housing within that area and planning permission for other things requires much more scrutiny than usual.

The DEPZ is the responsibility of West Berkshire Council (I believe that's by parliamentary legislation), so it's possible they have to approve of anything built within the DEPZ (in addition to relevant local authority where there's an overlap - ie. Reading Borough Council or Wokingham Borough Council) due to it affecting the plans for a potential evacuation of the area.

When it comes to a hypothetical stadium expansion, apparently the club has technically started on the plans that were approved in 2013(?) - as the media facility improvements from around that time was part of it - so would be able to 'continue' should we wish to at some point (unless something's changed since I was told that).

[Uke]

Interesting piece in this blog about the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) recently expanding something called the “Detailed emergency planning zone” (DEPZ) around its Burghfield site to include a chunk of South Reading, including the Mad Stad ...

https://readingonthames.com/2024/10/20/ ... an-update/

It implies that all the land around the Stadium is subject to this new expanded DEPZ and therefore AWE basically gets to decide what happens to it - notably in terms of potential housing....

As an non-expert, I have no idea what this means - but its another consideration I would imagine....

Are you suggesting this could all blow up in Dai’s face?

Are there any new clear options?

[Norfolk Royal]

Thank God for nuclear weapons.

[Brum Royal]

what about royal elm park development? doesn't seem to be an issue with building houses conference centres hotels and christ know what on the car park...

There is less restriction on conference centre etc as people won't be living there.
The residential is located well over to the west of the site where I understand there is less risk.
The remediation from the former landfill site (the release of gas etc) is dealt with within the stadium complex. If you knocked it down then you're going to have to find another way of doing that, and you are not going to be allowed to do that next to residential properties.

There are pipes for release of methane in the main car park. I don’t think there is any kind of processing of gases done inside the stadium
I suspect more of an issue would be the fact that the ground obviously isn’t stable as you can see by the rather large amount of movement of the paving blocks around the ground.

Just on this point, as this is along my lines of work.

The methane vents placed around the car park are the natural release mechanism of the gases within the landfill below the site. Risk levels will vary depending on what has been dumped and buried, but it'll be calculated on exposure levels as to what level of activity will be permitted on the site. A large volume of people (high risk) turning up once/twice a week for a couple of hours (low risk) for an outside activity in winter with likely stronger winds (very low risk) is a lot difference to the exposure levels of people who would have to live on the site should it be turned into residential, when exposure levels will be more constant and at much higher risk levels.

With regards the movements - this is differential settlement of the ground and will have been calculated and allowed for within the engineering of the stadium and site. Settlement of ground, especially landfill sites with typically softer material, can be up to a few mm per year, which when extrapolated over the nearly 30 years we've been there/the site has been worked on, is why we're seeing some of the uneven paving blocks. It's cosmetic in the main, but would be nice if we get a new owner who looks at the stadium for it to be looked at.

[Forbury Lion]

Interesting piece in this blog about the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) recently expanding something called the “Detailed emergency planning zone” (DEPZ) around its Burghfield site to include a chunk of South Reading, including the Mad Stad ...

https://readingonthames.com/2024/10/20/ ... an-update/

It implies that all the land around the Stadium is subject to this new expanded DEPZ and therefore AWE basically gets to decide what happens to it - notably in terms of potential housing....

As an non-expert, I have no idea what this means - but its another consideration I would imagine....

Apparently the section of the M4 which runs past Aldermaston is strengthened for defence reasons..... I'm guessing either for launching of missiles or possibly for use as a runway (although I can't really see that working with bridges/central reservation).

A friend of a friend from Burghfield was advised by their doctor not to drink tap water, Their goldfish also seemed to mutate a bit. I guess there is a risk to residents of any contamination leak from AWE, so increasing the number of residents/houses increases the risk.

[Armadillo Roadkill]

There is less restriction on conference centre etc as people won't be living there.
The residential is located well over to the west of the site where I understand there is less risk.
The remediation from the former landfill site (the release of gas etc) is dealt with within the stadium complex. If you knocked it down then you're going to have to find another way of doing that, and you are not going to be allowed to do that next to residential properties.

There are pipes for release of methane in the main car park. I don’t think there is any kind of processing of gases done inside the stadium
I suspect more of an issue would be the fact that the ground obviously isn’t stable as you can see by the rather large amount of movement of the paving blocks around the ground.

Just on this point, as this is along my lines of work.

The methane vents placed around the car park are the natural release mechanism of the gases within the landfill below the site. Risk levels will vary depending on what has been dumped and buried, but it'll be calculated on exposure levels as to what level of activity will be permitted on the site. A large volume of people (high risk) turning up once/twice a week for a couple of hours (low risk) for an outside activity in winter with likely stronger winds (very low risk) is a lot difference to the exposure levels of people who would have to live on the site should it be turned into residential, when exposure levels will be more constant and at much higher risk levels.

With regards the movements - this is differential settlement of the ground and will have been calculated and allowed for within the engineering of the stadium and site. Settlement of ground, especially landfill sites with typically softer material, can be up to a few mm per year, which when extrapolated over the nearly 30 years we've been there/the site has been worked on, is why we're seeing some of the uneven paving blocks. It's cosmetic in the main, but would be nice if we get a new owner who looks at the stadium for it to be looked at.

It never ceases to amaze me how many well informed and erudite people there still are on HNA?

[mikey_1871]

Interesting piece in this blog about the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) recently expanding something called the “Detailed emergency planning zone” (DEPZ) around its Burghfield site to include a chunk of South Reading, including the Mad Stad ...

https://readingonthames.com/2024/10/20/ ... an-update/

It implies that all the land around the Stadium is subject to this new expanded DEPZ and therefore AWE basically gets to decide what happens to it - notably in terms of potential housing....

As an non-expert, I have no idea what this means - but its another consideration I would imagine....

Apparently the section of the M4 which runs past Aldermaston is strengthened for defence reasons..... I'm guessing either for launching of missiles or possibly for use as a runway (although I can't really see that working with bridges/central reservation).

A friend of a friend from Burghfield was advised by their doctor not to drink tap water, Their goldfish also seemed to mutate a bit. I guess there is a risk to residents of any contamination leak from AWE, so increasing the number of residents/houses increases the risk.

The risk is that any increase in population within the restricted area is contrary to West Berks Council's emegency plan, which covers shelter/evacuation procedures in the event of an emergency at the AWE.

The restricted area was recently extended which is what scuppered the Grazeley housing allocation, but if Royal Elm Park has commenced development then the planning permission will still stand. However if the area covers the stadium then the Council will resist any further housing here.

To sum up, with both the AWE restriction and the historic contamination, the chances of anyone getting planning permission for houses here would be extremely low, so no housing developer will be looking at the site.