Stadium Expansion *APPROVED* Sept ‘22 - Details / Images Released on Planning Site

[Paninistickers]

7 minutes ago, urban fox said:

At least this time round the planners have realised that the associated development like the arena and hotel etc are fundamental to the ground expansion. Last time the club wanted to expand the stadium the plans to include retail and a casino were blocked so the whole thing was shelved, otherwise we would have had a 40000 seater stadium years ago.

the main revenue increases will not come from ticket sales alone but all the add-ons that the associated development brings. A 200 room hotel for eg will potentially bring in around £10m a year.

whether this will be lcfc commercial revenue, or king power revenue remains to be seen, but I am assuming the former as the development appears to be on behalf of lcfc not in the name of KP. (Funding/loan arrangements notwithstanding)

The hotel would be leased out to a, say, a Marriott or whatever. Hotels rarely do the brickwork. So revenues are from hotel to the real estate - finance costs.

 

I've doom mongered regards the arena and I have reservations on the viability of a hotel too. I popped into the lovely Brooklyn a few Fridays ago, Friday night, any other City would have it's central hotels buzzing. Not here. An absolute morgue. I was one of about three in the bar. 

 

The City of Leicester needs an entire root and branch revamp. A colossal project in how a post industrial, post office 21st and 22nd century city should function. I'm afraid this development is gonna struggle to attract both the investors and punters it needs

[los dedos]

I get what you're saying regarding the areana . But I was under the impression they were more looking at the large conference market than concerts and shows.

This would certainly take up more days and sell hotel rooms over the year . If you coupled that with the odd band/ sports event.

The trouble with the council is they are very small minded.  Anyone wanting to build over 10 stories gets hammered to reduce it . They act like Leicester is a small town !

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/fresh-bid-replace-leicester-matalan-8955203

[SemperEadem]

22 minutes ago, los dedos said:

I get what you're saying regarding the areana . But I was under the impression they were more looking at the large conference market than concerts and shows.

This would certainly take up more days and sell hotel rooms over the year . If you coupled that with the odd band/ sports event.

The trouble with the council is they are very small minded.  Anyone wanting to build over 10 stories gets hammered to reduce it . They act like Leicester is a small town !

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/fresh-bid-replace-leicester-matalan-8955203

Wank for the people of Leicester largely if so.

[leicesterseddon]

32 minutes ago, los dedos said:

I get what you're saying regarding the areana . But I was under the impression they were more looking at the large conference market than concerts and shows.

This would certainly take up more days and sell hotel rooms over the year . If you coupled that with the odd band/ sports event.

The trouble with the council is they are very small minded.  Anyone wanting to build over 10 stories gets hammered to reduce it . They act like Leicester is a small town !

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/fresh-bid-replace-leicester-matalan-8955203

 

Yes I think from memory it was mainly conferences they were looking at (also Indian weddings during the summer months). I don't think they are banking on bringing Beyonce to Leicester or anything like that.

 

Has the club ever specified how they intend to finance this? Are they looking to get a loan from a bank? Would they get a loan from King Power?

 

Obviously that's a key question, because I imagine a bank would want to see a pretty robust business case before handing over the loan you'd need for this sort of project.

 

I also wonder about the business model for the arena/hotel. But as others have said, they must have looked into it pretty extensively by this stage.

 

[Pliskin]

It would be suicide not to utilise the arena for concerts and shows…… the city of Leicester is on its arse and something like this would really give the city a lift! 
 

I certainly hope it’s something they are considering when building this venue…… is it really the council who determine these things? If this is the case, then it’s farcical….. no wonder the city is a devolving shit hole. 

[los dedos]

20 minutes ago, Pliskin said:

It would be suicide not to utilise the arena for concerts and shows…… the city of Leicester is on its arse and something like this would really give the city a lift! 
 

I certainly hope it’s something they are considering when building this venue…… is it really the council who determine these things? If this is the case, then it’s farcical….. no wonder the city is a devolving shit hole. 

Oh don't get me wrong I think they'll have plenty of concerts and shows . But will try and push for large conferences to keep the money coming in.

[snoopy87]

The arena, with the size stated, will be smaller acts / events as others have suggested I think. Darts, band touring off the back of that good second album that couldn't quite sell the bigger arenas, stuff the NEC hosts year round, that sort of thing.

 

The large gig side will be the shiny new stadium. There's already a comment in the paperwork stating number of tickets that can be sold and number of events that can be held in a calendar year (10 I think), which they'll have to pay to get them to start coming, but a couple of good years of top artists would make the KP a go to stop on the stadium tours.

[Mike Oxlong]

1 hour ago, SemperEadem said:

Wank for the people of Leicester 

Is that a statement or an invitation ? 

[urban fox]

Whilst the arena hopefully will host music events etc, the main income I would imagine will be from trade exhibitions and the like. Camping &caravan club, regional motor shows, leisure industry such as golfing, fishing equipment  etc and hopefully promoting local industry. As previously stated, this type of thing will also provide hotel bookings from exhibitors and punters alike.

the success or otherwise will be down to how well it is marketed as a venue. Not only could this be a boon for the club, but for the city as a whole if successful.

[Stadt]

2 hours ago, Seventyseven said:

I’m pretty sure the Nottingham Ice Stadium loses money despite the amount of acts they have on. 
 

The whole stand expansion probably depends on the viability of making money on the development and that seems unlikely. 
 

with what was said by the club it seems unlikely this will ever get off the ground. 

Coventry and Derby are what, 10-15 miles and easily accessible from Birmingham and Derby respectively which is what affects their attractiveness.

 

Radio 2 ITP and the Kasabian gigs (although exceptions generally) prove Leicestershire can pull a big crowd. DMH, Morningside and the 02 are too small to get decent sized acts

[Lillehamring]

Where i live, Lillehammer, is a very interesting case study into arena.  for the 1994 winter olympics, they built two arenas Hakon and Kristin, holding 11,500 and 3,200 spectators - lillehammer has a population of 28k, so a little bigger than market harborough.

 

Both arenas are still regularly in use.

The smaller is the home stadium for the ice hockey team for most games - for the big local derby and certain major games they play in the bigger hall.

The bigger hall has become a multi use venue hosting everything from concerts to handball matches to flea markets.

 

Granted there are more alternatives close to leicester but there is also a massive amount more people, if KP are smart they could have a 6k arena running on an almost daily basis - much like granby halls at it's peak.

[Vestan Pance]

2 hours ago, leicesterseddon said:

Has the club ever specified how they intend to finance this? Are they looking to get a loan from a bank? Would they get a loan from King Power?

 

Obviously that's a key question, because I imagine a bank would want to see a pretty robust business case before handing over the loan you'd need for this sort of project.

 

I believe King Power own the stadium so I assume they would be the ones developing, not LCFC.

[Paninistickers]

1 hour ago, snoopy87 said:

band touring off the back of that good second album that couldn't quite sell the bigger arenas, stuff the NEC

Thing is tours are booked en masse by a promoter.. there's a stadium circuit, an arena circuit, a concert hall circuit (de mont, rock city, Wolverhampton civic hall type thing), student circuit and finally the town hall circuit in your Loughborough and Basingstoke town halls. 

 

There ain't a demand or circuit for a 6k arena. Youve either gotta go massive and join Cardiff, Murrayfield, Wembley (and we could do that and there is a circuit ready, Cov currently do it) or go toe to toe with an arena with 12k

 

The business case don't work.

 

Add to that the appalling transport infrastructure Leicester has, means the venue can't reach out into the region. No trains from Cov or Grantham or Rugby or Northampton or even Coalville/ Ashby ffs

[Chelmofox]

5 minutes ago, Paninistickers said:

Thing is tours are booked en masse by a promoter.. there's a stadium circuit, an arena circuit, a concert hall circuit (de mont, rock city, Wolverhampton civic hall type thing), student circuit and finally the town hall circuit in your Loughborough and Basingstoke town halls. 

 

There ain't a demand or circuit for a 6k arena. Youve either gotta go massive and join Cardiff, Murrayfield, Wembley (and we could do that and there is a circuit ready, Cov currently do it) or go toe to toe with an arena with 12k

 

The business case don't work.

 

Add to that the appalling transport infrastructure Leicester has, means the venue can't reach out into the region. No trains from Cov or Grantham or Rugby or Northampton or even Coalville/ Ashby ffs

Its a pain, because for me that size area is the sweet spot. I hate Wembley Arena or the NEC - the sound is appalling and just bounces around the area. The last few stadium gigs ive been to the sound has been terrible as they seem to make the speakers very directional to presumably reduce noise leaking from the Stadium. Guns and Roses at the London stadium sounded shocking.  A 6k area would be loud everywhere and have a bouncing audience. 

 

But agree that promoters wouldn't gravitate towards this size. Its either the theatres, arenas or Stadiums. Don't know if a 40k KP even hits a sweet spot. But you would think that this size would work for trade shows, touring theatre shows etc. 

[Lillehamring]

1 hour ago, Paninistickers said:

Thing is tours are booked en masse by a promoter.. there's a stadium circuit, an arena circuit, a concert hall circuit (de mont, rock city, Wolverhampton civic hall type thing), student circuit and finally the town hall circuit in your Loughborough and Basingstoke town halls. 

 

There ain't a demand or circuit for a 6k arena. Youve either gotta go massive and join Cardiff, Murrayfield, Wembley (and we could do that and there is a circuit ready, Cov currently do it) or go toe to toe with an arena with 12k

 

The business case don't work.

 

Add to that the appalling transport infrastructure Leicester has, means the venue can't reach out into the region. No trains from Cov or Grantham or Rugby or Northampton or even Coalville/ Ashby ffs

That could soon be very different if/when the ivanhoe is sorted - could go from dreadful to state of the art.

[Pliskin]

3 hours ago, los dedos said:

Oh don't get me wrong I think they'll have plenty of concerts and shows . But will try and push for large conferences to keep the money coming in.

I see, seems mad though…. Imagine how much money the club will end up making with concerts? The city has been crying out for something like. 

[moseeds]

Finally, the ground will be big enough to host your average asian wedding. Quids in!

[bigpapagoldy]

Is 40.000 set in stone or could the stadium be made 45.000 say if the club changed its mind 

[purpleronnie]

13 hours ago, Lillehamring said:

That could soon be very different if/when the ivanhoe is sorted - could go from dreadful to state of the art.

All the talk and what I've read suggest the ivanhoe line won't go to Leicester.

[davieG]

57 minutes ago, purpleronnie said:

All the talk and what I've read suggest the ivanhoe line won't go to Leicester.

It's possible but not straight away.

 

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/revived-ivanhoe-line-link-leicester-8971828

 

Revived Ivanhoe Line link to Leicester could see station near King Power Stadium
Campaigners have also touted links to London with the focus currently on connecting Coalville to Derby

ByLee GarrettReporter
13:24, 13 DEC 2023

A new Leicester station for a fully revived Ivanhoe Line would be located near the King Power Stadium. Campaigners say making this final phase a reality is the “most difficult” and expensive part, but will keep pressing ahead with their plan.

The developments were revealed by Douglas McLay, spokesman for the Campaign to Reopen the Ivanhoe Line (CRIL), who have spearheaded the Ivanhoe Line’s revival. If approved by the Government, passenger services will first return on the line between Coalville and Derby, with stops at Ashby, Castle Gresley and Burton. Ultimately, CRIL wants to connect Coalville with Leicester, but major infrastructure costs totalling more than £270 million stand in their way.

Despite that, plans for the Leicester link have been revealed, with CRIL saying a new Leicester South station linking the city with Coalville would be sited around Leicester City’s King Power Stadium. From there, a link with Leicester Railway Station would be created, but immense costs are predicted due to links with the Midland Main Line.

Speaking before North West Leicestershire District Council’s (NWLDC) Community Scrutiny Committee, Mr McLay said: “The biggest problem is that we will need a new track alongside the Midland Main Line into Leicester station. That will be very expensive to do and very difficult to do because it will involve shutting the Midland Main Line.”

 

As things stand, the project is split into three phases. The first covers the Coalville to Derby link - a move that would see a temporary shut down of the existing line to fill a missing section of track across the A42. The second link would then focus on securing Coalville’s link to the newly created Leicester South station near the Foxes home ground.

This would then be followed by what Mr McLay called the “most difficult” part - the link to the Midland Main Line. He was unable to give a timeline on any potential shut down linked to this part of the project, but told NWLDC that existing plans to redevelop the city’s railway station would make it possible even if it was difficult.

He said: “I have seen plans to remodel the station and increase its capacity. It’s nothing to do with the Ivanhoe Line, it’s something [Leicester City Council] were always going to do as part of efforts to increase capacity on the Midland Main Line. From the plans I’ve seen it would be very easy to adjust and adapt them. [Engineers] confirmed to me it wouldn’t be difficult at this stage either to alter it and incorporate the Ivanhoe Line.”

Ivanhoe Line CRIL Coalville Ashby Castle Gresley Burton Derby Leicester Network Rail
A restored Ivanhoe Line will only run as far as Coalville according to current plans (Image: Lee Garrett/Leicester Mercury)
Leicester South’s station would need to be constructed from scratch on land currently leased out to industrial units in the area. Double tracks to ensure it is operational and able to link with the Midland Main Line would follow, but Mr McLay believed that the Leicester South link could open up Leicestershire to the capital.

He said: “If we do get as far as Leicester South, it would be possible to run trains to London. It wouldn’t go through Leicester, but there have been instances where communities have managed to get train companies to run a morning and evening service to London. Shrewsbury is one of them. It would be a good commute.”

For now, efforts on getting the Coalville to Derby link up and running are ongoing. A full outline business case is set to be published by the end of the year, with a decision then left with the Transport Secretary on the line’s full revival. Mr McLay has previously said CRIL will continue to campaign to get to Leicester and secure these new links, but for now, the aim was ensuring Coalville to Derby was full steam ahead.

He said: “We very much believe we should take what we’ve been offered because apart from the fact it would provide benefits right away, it would also bash on the head the myth that ‘this’ll never happen, the line will never open’.

“If it’s opened a bit, it shows it can be done. Until it gets onto Leicester main line, we will never give up campaigning on the Leicester link.”

[Chrysalis]

On BBC news now as approved, also confirmed as only 8k expansion.

[Chrysalis]

On 13/12/2023 at 18:23, Stevosevic said:

PL football is never a guarantee. We need to move forward with this. 

Not to mention its better to do it whilst in a lower division, because we losing revenue whilst its ongoing, if we in the EPL, we losing more revenue as a result.

[Lillehamring]

8 hours ago, purpleronnie said:

All the talk and what I've read suggest the ivanhoe line won't go to Leicester.

The link to London Road would be the final (and most expensive step) - but running the line to the KP wouldn't be two hard and, i believe, is scheduled as the 2nd phase - which would mean a station could be built right at the ground with , in theory, trains coming sout from derby and north from london, via mkt harbourough.

 

It's not going to be immediate but it is likely to happen soon enough for the club to start benefitting from it.

 

 

What DavieG said. 

Edited 16 December 2023 by Lillehamring

[Jaspa]

If we ever do open up a train station near the stadium we need Heskey to cut the ribbon

[ithuriel]

7 minutes ago, Jaspa said:

If we ever do open up a train station near the stadium we need Heskey to cut the ribbon

Dressed as Thomas the tank engine