Bristol Rovers want to triple the size of the South Stand to accommodate around 4,000 supporters, club head of sales David Bright has revealed.
CEO Tom Gorringe outlined Rovers’ wish to replace the South and South West stand with a singular, permanent structure in his programme notes for the League One fixture with Ipswich Town, with plans first made public in the board meeting minutes that were published earlier this month, removing all the ground’s tented structures before the start of the 2023/24 campaign.
In an interview with the Stadium Business Summit, Bright has offered further detail on what that project will entail. In a Twitter exchange with fans, Bright also declared that once 3D mapping of the section of the ground has been carried out further information will be shared with fans and there is optimism the work can be completed in time.
“We need to continually improve the site we are on, so we will be refurbishing another hospitality lounge and introducing a new product in that category for the 2023-24 season,” Bright said. “We are looking at the basic facilities that fans should expect to see improvements in, so adding more toilets, more F&B outlets and improving the ones we have currently.
“But probably the biggest project for us this summer will be the regeneration of the South Stand in the stadium. A semi-permanent structure 20 years ago, it’s reached the time where that needs to change.
“We are looking to increase the seating capacity in that area from 1,300 to around 4,000. This is a big investment and needed a plan that showed we had the appetite for that many more fans to attend games. But we feel confident we’ve answered our own questions when it comes to that, and what we can see as a return on the investment.
“Retro fitting this means that we have to consider existing floodlights, the location of our big screen and the need for more services and facilities, so you end up working with a number of outside agents, on one single project.”
It’s certainly an ambitious claim given everything that will need to happen between now and August, when next season will kick off, with a new stand of that size significantly raising the height of that part of the ground.
One of the fundamental issues about redeveloping the Mem, beyond the financial aspect, is that the ground cannot exceed certain height restrictions. Bristol Live also understands that any move to remove the current South Stand and build on that area will be subject to planning permission from Bristol City Council.
The stand backs onto a residential area with houses along Alton Road and nearby Downend Road, offering little room to expand backwards while residents may have opposition to a new structure being erected. Part of the delays behind the digital scoreboard that was finally fitted in 2019 was down to the formal planning process, due to the proximity of so many houses.
Rovers, though, are determined to raise the capacity of the Mem as Joey Barton’s two years in charge have delivered increasingly high attendances and record season ticket sales.
Rovers’ home can presently accommodate 9,832 supporters but should the above prove possible, that capacity would then rise to around 12,5000 offering considerable benefits in terms of revenue and further improving the atmosphere at the ground.
The club has worked hard to improve the fan experience inside and outside the ground with the creation of the fan zone and greater food and drink options for supporters.
This flurry of news around proposals for the Mem also comes at a time where the hope to build a new stadium at the fruit market in St Philips Marsh appears in a state of limbo as the club are yet to strike an agreement with developers Conygar. Wael Al-Qadi first announced the plans for that project in August 2019 but there have been precious few updates since.
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