What do we want the Bath End to be like?

[OliverH]

Westonpundit wrote on another thread:

"What would be good for either end is that, with possibly some investment by a generous sponsor, we could have some limited form of covering over the 'City' end ( whichever that is ) in the form of some steel structure and basic roof which would capture the atmosphere created in the ground......make it a Kop end etc. Obviously the covered area could be named after the sponsors or investor for hopefully a local contracting firm or generous supporter."

Keep the Bath End open or cover it up? Any other thoughts on it?

[Twerton Parker]

I'm making the presumption that the whole point of the re-development is to bring the ground up to date and, as far as is possible with such things, 'future-proof' it for the years ahead. Whilst nostalgia is a wonderful thing I think peoples' expectations of what is acceptable continues to rise all the time* and the club has to meet those expectations or risk being seen as something that has had its day.

So yes, I'm all for covering the Bristol end.

(*An example of what I mean: 15 years ago my new Sierra came with a Cd player and not a grotty cassette player that was always chewing up tape like the one I had in the car before - such sophistication! These days Cd players have been and gone and it's now all digital radio/satnav/mp3 player and bluetooth 'phone etc in a single combined unit. Nothing, it seems, is forever and we all move on.)

[tovid]

I bet the Sierra has hardly changed at all though.

I have never seen the attraction of watching the game from the end terraces. It is worse than being a goalkeeper. But a notable feature of non league football is that people like to watch from the end the team is playing towards. Will the mass exodus at the start and half time continue to be a feature? I suspect it will be. So if you cover one end you have to cover the other.

Of course if we were promoted we would be segregated and so the exodus wouldn't exist. But should we be providing cover for away fans anyway. Probably.

[LB]

I agree that it would be nice to have one or other (or both) ends covered, because I have always felt that is one thing that the ground has been lacking (although on wet days everyone cramming in to the Popular Side does create a great atmosphere) but presumably this has always been prohibited by cost. Perhaps the redevelopment might be the chance to take a fresh look at this although I don't know whether this might need a separate planning application. It might be that any decision on this might need to be linked to a decision about which end will be the away end as is being discussed on one of the other threads.

[OliverH]

Thanks LB, I will add that question - would a covered Bath end need a separate planning application - to the info requests thread.

[Dave]

Would a covered Bath End really be feasible? The terrace is going to have to be significantly raised already due to the pitch levelling, this is already going to have an impact on the afternoon and evening sunlight for the houses and gardens behind it, a roof and supporting walls will compound the issue further. The raised level is also going to mean the terrace at that end will likely be shallow, any roof on it is just going to look like a WSM bus shelter. Stick a roof on the Bristol End if anywhere, maybe just halfway accross it extending from the Pop Side roof around the Curva Twerts and along to the current segregation divide? This would also eliminate the threat from the stone throwing oiks on the grass bank above

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