Why would the fact that Peel are building a road and bridge to service their development site, including your stadium and now possibly accommodating IKEA, mean that anyone should have "more sympathy for John Wilkinson and the gang"?

Rather than IKEA being the nugget of the stadium's retail plan, surely it is more accurate to consider the stadium as the key for unlocking the 'IKEA' retail plan, or is that what you mean and how do you think that this possibly signals the Council's exit strategy?

There’s two different things here.

Traffic going in and out of the stadium is an existing issue for Salford and Sale supporters. The hope is that the new road might alleviate some of it. (I don’t know whether this would be the case but it’s a sentiment held by some people.) If an Ikea comes along, you would imagine this to attract additional traffic and this to offset any alleviation potential, particularly on a Sunday afternoon. Which, therefore, may force the Club’s hand to move regular home fixtures back to Friday night. So that’s one thing.

The other thing regards the belated arrival of an Ikea. Now lets go back ten years to fifteen years. There were quite a few potential income streams for the stadium complex that came and went – bearing in mind that as Salford fans, we’re blinkered, and all we were bothered about is money flowing into the development to underpin the Club’s finances, enabling it to spend up to the salary cap without the need of a sugar daddy owner. That was the original plan. The original plan sold to Salford supporters.

These included a hotel, a ‘[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_casinosupercasino[/url’ (kiboshed not least because Salford wasn’t shortlisted, and the Government pulled the plug on them anyway), and a retail park specialising in white goods. (And how could we forget the [url=http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1657903water park[/url!). Some form of retail was probably most likely, not least because it is a well-worn path.

Then Red City Developments goes bust in 2008. The project as we were sold was essentially dead at that point. Peel, who had originally opposed the development, end up salvaging the new stadium by offering a scaled down, off-the-shelf jobby. Now whether Salford were too far down the line to turn back to The Wiilows, I don’t know, but they opted to continue towards the move.

When the Club were in serious trouble at the end of 2013, John Wilkinson mentioned that Ikea had been the frontrunners to build a store on the complex. He intimated that recessionary factors halted this, as well as having devastating consequences for his own business and finances, and in turn the Club’s; and had this Ikea been built, Salford would not be in the desperate situation they are in at present – having very few income streams from the stadium and paying a high rent (or supposed to be) to a stadium management company.

Now you will get varying responses on here towards John Wilkinson’s tenure at the Club. You could say Salford overreached in the original stadium project: that it was too ambitious, that it was never going to happen, and typical of same old Salford leaving the Club in the lurch. On the other hand, you could say the recession, which no-one saw coming, came at the wrong time for the project and that they were unlucky. If this new Ikea development is true, then you may have some sympathy the latter.

In regards to the Council’s share in the JV, I assume the stadium still pi=#000000sses money left, right and centre, and the Council is owed circa £20m in loans to it. So it’s a bit of a political hot potato around these parts. Rumour had it that they rebuffed Koukash’s advances to negotiate an equity stake in it. Koukash has fired a few barbed words towards their direction since. So maybe… perhaps… the Ikea development has been on the cards for sometime and it is money derived from the new store that will help satisfy the Council’s continued financial interest in the JV, until which point it is satisfied.

Long-winded as it is, this is the second point I was trying to make.

And you make it really well.
The recession hit and cost JW perhaps more than we'll ever know.
Salford Council will eventually come out of this ok because of the increased land values,unless Peel have taken all the upside and left them only downside.

Thanks for the response. I think that you may be right alluding to the fact that IKEA from a traffic POV might have a detrimental effect despite the new link road and bridge to the Trafford Centre I wouldn't dare to suggest a best time to play to avoid it, particularly during early trading when people are giddy, so good luck and hopefully not back to square one. In the longer term if the route connects further along the A57 it might provide two additional access egress points away from the stadium

I'm not sure of the legal nature of the JV but the planning application is by Peel, do the Council have an interest which might ease the current plight of the stadium finances, or is there a kick back through a S106 as development proceeds? Hardly likely to cover the Council's position I'd have thought, apart from saving face.

From the outside, I always felt a bit sorry for John Wilkinson as it seemed that his heart was in the right place, perhaps too much so and whether it was the recession or not, I don't get the impression that he had the wherewithal to see the grand plan through and that was my point really. I think that the stadium ended up as a sop to pave the way the comprehensive nature of the overall development that Peel wanted from Peel Green to Irlam rather than it being the centre piece to drive inward investment.

You would hope that the Council get what's due to them and in turn so do the good burghers of Salford. TBF that new road and bridge will not have come cheap particularly the cost in delay whilst the structure is sorted out and the same goes presumably for the Port Salford and all the messing about with the Barton Stretch.

They are a property development company as we know so they'd expect an upside somewhere

I'd like to comment on Peel's arrangements and relationships with local authorities. I cannot do that on here. However to get a flavour of the hold this company has on the area: the enlarged wind farm in the Rochdale/Bury/Blackburn area meant the local authorities had to invest to allow planning hearings: paid for by Peel. (From the horse's mouth).

It strikes me the JV can't win, there are bringing in a massive multi national company who will attract new people to come to Salford on a daily basis, even if only 1% of the new visitors notice the ground and take an interest we have potential winner.

I doubt Ikea would locate there and not take an interest in sponsorship and I've no doubt will attract more investment in the area.

Peel obviously have a relationship with local authorities due to extensive land holdings and a willingness to invest/develop. Whether anyone agrees with what they are offering is another matter, as planning applications are always subjective often turning into Nimbyism? I am in no way suggesting that everyone should put up with stuff, whether it's 'IKEA's traffic', wind farms or fracking, but, it does seem that Peel attract automatic protestation, particularly from a certain Conservative councillor and that can't be right either?

All anyone can hope for is fairness and due process being carried out in a transparent and honest manner? Sure the likes of Peel have deep pockets and will pursue matters if they can see a long term benefit for them and a legal basis to continue. That's not wrong in principle IMO as long as checks and balances are in place and by that I don't mean that local authorities should waste resources unnecessarily, when a challenge can't be sustained through planning law and the appeals process, it's got to work both ways and it's surely more effective to be active to influence and promote development.

As another poster said get IKEA to sponsor you, (change your kit to Blue and a Yellow perhaps Primrose), try and build a better team slowly, have your backer be quiet for a bit, develop an academy stop other clubs poaching your local talent in fact get yourselves down to the Wire it's all in place and as always next year will be our year ha ha

good luck

Peel are property developers. They're in it for profit. It's what they're there for. Nothing wrong with that.
They drove the development of Salford Quays,and all the benefit and jobs from that,by buying the Ship Canal Company primarily for its land bank.
That enterprise plus the stadium build required a partnership with the local authority,which they need to be good at.
My earlier point was simply that there will be inevitable development around the stadium,because that was the whole point and the increased development will not necessarily improve stadium access ,particularly on a Sunday

Did you hear about the football team who were sponsored by Ikea? They played with a flat pack four.

The way things have gone in the last 12 months, they will probably build it and then move it to Leigh a year later.

Are you suggesting that Hansen, Patterson and Hock are a flat pack? I'll get me coat and chase off.