Ground development

[squarelegumpire]

E-mail received today:
"To all Members of Essex County Cricket Club,
 
I would like to take this opportunity to bring you up to date with the current status on the Ground Development at Chelmsford.
 
As you know we successfully completed the first phase of the Ground Development with MCD following the construction and sale of the Century House in 2015. Since then, despite giving MCD two extensions of time, MCD have been unable to provide us with a proposal for the development of the rest of the ground that was in line with the arrangements the Committee had previously agreed with them. Accordingly, 30 months after the completion of Century House, the agreement with MCD has come to an end and we have decided not to give MCD any further extensions of time.
 
In the meantime, we are looking at other opportunities to improve our facilities and will keep you updated as and when the Committee has something to report.
 
Your understanding and support is very much appreciated.
 
Regards,
 
John Faragher
Chairman
Essex County Cricket Club"

Did  anyone else get this? I didn’t.

What it says to me is that there’ll be no further development, and they’re wondering what to do with the half million or so they’ve made so far.

[LeedsExile]

I am all in favour of not getting into debt with grandiose schemes. However surely the pavilion could be rebuilt with better player facilities. It is frequently said by opposing players that the dressing rooms are tiny.

[nat]

I am all in favour of not getting into debt with grandiose schemes. However surely the pavilion could be rebuilt with better player facilities. It is frequently said by opposing players that the dressing rooms are tiny.

If the players carried a few less bats and gloves then maybe the dressing rooms would be ok.

[mawallace]

E-mail received today:
"To all Members of Essex County Cricket Club,
 
I would like to take this opportunity to bring you up to date with the current status on the Ground Development at Chelmsford.
 
As you know we successfully completed the first phase of the Ground Development with MCD following the construction and sale of the Century House in 2015. Since then, despite giving MCD two extensions of time, MCD have been unable to provide us with a proposal for the development of the rest of the ground that was in line with the arrangements the Committee had previously agreed with them. Accordingly, 30 months after the completion of Century House, the agreement with MCD has come to an end and we have decided not to give MCD any further extensions of time.
 
In the meantime, we are looking at other opportunities to improve our facilities and will keep you updated as and when the Committee has something to report.
 
Your understanding and support is very much appreciated.
 
Regards,
 
John Faragher
Chairman
Essex County Cricket Club"

Did  anyone else get this? I didn’t.

What it says to me is that there’ll be no further development, and they’re wondering what to do with the half million or so they’ve made so far.

I have not received this either

[bwildered]

E-mail received Weds 19-00 hrs .

If the development is now only phased one of three complete, with the two other phases now unlikely, what have the club gained so far ?
Do they get a percentage rent of the current complete block ?

[squarelegumpire]

E-mail received Weds 19-00 hrs .

If the development is now only phased one of three complete, with the two other phases now unlikely, what have the club gained so far ?
Do they get a percentage rent of the current complete block ?

I seem to recall being told there was £600,000 or so in a some form of seperate, development, account.

If development is stopped though, surely Chelmsford City Council have a dog in the fight, for example the take-over of the car park. And I thought Keiith Brown was being retained as a consultant, since  ‘he knew all about it’!

[Mog]

Pleased that's all been clarified!..........More confusion, prevarication and unanswered questions. Welcome to the dysfunctional little kingdom of No Change Essex.

[LeedsExile]

The Cricketer magazine are running a story on their website headed "Essex are the best run club".
https://www.thecricketer.com/Topics/bigcricketsurvey/big_cricket_survey_2018_essex_are_best-run_county,_while_most_clubs_get_high_approval_ratings.html

Not sure many on this site agree.

[squarelegumpire]

Wonder how big the samples were is question one. I spent many years ‘evaluating’ promotional literature and gift horses' mouths always need to be looked into very carefully.

[Slogger]

Well at least we're not going bust. I fully support not going into debt over a grandiose project. I think things have improved in other ways under the current chairman. My only gripe is a lack of festival cricket. Personally I'd play a game on the road (or maybe a couple of 50 over games) maybe rotating Colchester, Southend and a sensible venue in metropolitan Essex.

[Valentines Park]

A sensible venue in Southend would also be nice.

[Andy]

The Cricketer magazine are running a story on their website headed "Essex are the best run club".
https://www.thecricketer.com/Topics/bigcricketsurvey/big_cricket_survey_2018_essex_are_best-run_county,_while_most_clubs_get_high_approval_ratings.html

Not sure many on this site agree.

Yes but Glamorgan are the only club to make a profit net of ECB handouts. That's a key measure of being 'well run'.

[JasonP]

The Cricketer magazine are running a story on their website headed "Essex are the best run club".
https://www.thecricketer.com/Topics/bigcricketsurvey/big_cricket_survey_2018_essex_are_best-run_county,_while_most_clubs_get_high_approval_ratings.html

Not sure many on this site agree.

Yes but Glamorgan are the only club to make a profit net of ECB handouts. That's a key measure of being 'well run'.

Not that well run.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-44127750

Cardiff council has said it stands by its decision to write off millions owed to it by Glamorgan cricket club.

It wrote off £4.4m to ease the club's finances in 2015 and maintain a Test cricket ground in the city.

But the club's finances have since improved, partly due to a £2.5m deal with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), which stops the club bidding for Test matches.

[Andy]

Yes but Glamorgan are the only club to make a profit net of ECB handouts. That's a key measure of being 'well run'.

Not that well run.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-44127750

Cardiff council has said it stands by its decision to write off millions owed to it by Glamorgan cricket club.

It wrote off £4.4m to ease the club's finances in 2015 and maintain a Test cricket ground in the city.

But the club's finances have since improved, partly due to a £2.5m deal with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), which stops the club bidding for Test matches.

Yes, but this was a disaster made by the ECB: irresponsibly pushing clubs to overspend on ground improvements, then finding they haven’t the matches to fill enough of these grounds. Glamorgan COuncil are not the only ones to write off debts for struggling test hosting counties.

Clearly, if this Sheffield Hallam research is to be believed, Glamorgan are in a better position - perhaps like Lanky they’ve sourced other income streams that don’t mean handouts?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/44170761

[SirChef26]

A dream of mine would be to see England play an international at HQ, no matter what the format. Sadly as that would require a brand new pavilion, media centre and corporate facilities along with the capacity of the ground being doubled, I expect it will never happen but it is nice to dream. Maybe Alastair Cook can beg the ECB to schedule his last ever England match at Chelmsford against someone like Zimbabwe who no one cares about seeing live. As I said, one can dream.