The developer vying to buy Bristol's Fruit Market with plans of building a new stadium for Bristol Rovers has been granted more time to complete negotiations.
Conygar Investments had already been granted an extension to May 24 after its five-month non-binding exclusivity agreement with the owners of the site in St Philips Marsh expired on May 9. Today (Wednesday), Conygar announced another extension to July 5 had been agreed.
A spokesman said: "The Conygar Investment Company PLC ("Conygar") announces that it has extended its non-binding exclusivity agreement with Wholesale Fruit Centre (Bristol) Limited regarding the potential acquisition of a 14.7 acres development at the Bristol Fruit Market site in the St Philips Marsh area of Bristol, one mile to the east of Bristol Temple Meads. The extension lasts until July 5, 2022."
It is understood the extension is to complete mandatory legal documentation and the first phase of the project is heading towards a positive conclusion.
Conygar went public with its intention to purchase the site in December. Bristol Live understands that should the deal go through, Rovers will be invited to be a partner in the project with the developer. No commitments have been made by the club in advance, but should they join the project and a stadium be built, Rovers would sign a long-term lease with a minimal yearly financial obligation. In return, it is understood the Memorial Stadium in Horfield would be transferred to Conygar for housing development.
In August 2019, Wael Al-Qadi confirmed the fruit market was of interest to Rovers. He told BBC Radio Bristol: "We have options but one of the sites, as you probably know from what has been talked about, is the site at the fruit market… It is one of several sites but we are very interested in that site."
That interview aside, the club's messaging on hopes to move to a new stadium has been much broader, with Al-Qadi and former CEO Martyn Starnes insisting it was a priority for the Gas without delving into specific details.
It has long been consensus that the lack of a modern stadium – and the opportunities for commercial growth it would bring – is holding Rovers back, but efforts to find a new home over the years have fallen short, with the collapse of the plans to move to the University of the West of England (UWE) in 2017 particularly painful for the club.
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