Pompey stadium under scrutiny

Club and council looking to work together with new stadium

By Richard Bailey   Last updated: 19th November 2008

Portsmouth Fratton Park

Fratton Park: Could be gone by 2011

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Portsmouth have insisted that their dream of playing in a new stadium by 2011 is still alive despite the project looking certain to face a public inquiry.

Bankers who were approached by Portsmouth to help finance the stadium have blasted the initial plans as the site does not have any retail or housing alongside the 36,000-seater stadium.

This is crucial if the club are to receive all of the funding. Portsmouth have subsequently gone back to the drawing board and included shops, a hotel and a supermarket to the new plans.

But this in itself has caused its own problems. Portsmouth City Council fear that the new changes would be seen as a threat by city centre businesses.

Pompey are said to be in desperate need for the stadium to go ahead but the club deny that they are heavily in debt or that owner Alexandre Gaydamak is desperate to sell.

Hopeful

Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie told The News: "We have obviously changed plans. The credit crunch has created that.

"At the moment we are in discussions with the city council about the fact that we have to have retail on the site.

"Without that it's just simply not going to happen. We need the council to get behind us and support us on this."

Despite the set-back, Storrie is optimistic that the new plans will be ready to present to the council early in the New Year.

He added: "They (council) are not being unhelpful, but it's a change in policy for them and they need to understand fully the economic reasons why we have to have retail."

Leader of Portsmouth City Council Gerald Vernon-Jackson explains that they want the same thing as the club but ultimately the decision may be taken out of the council's hands.

He said: "Ministers will be unhappy about out-of-town shopping because of the effect on city centres. It will be a public inquiry and ministers will make the decision.

"We all want a new stadium, that is why we are working as closely as possible with the football club. We all want the same thing."