Thanks to the guys at nufc.com for bringing this to my attention. And lots of other people judging by the comments on the planning department’s website.
What am I on about? Well, late last year the money-grabbing lunatics in charge of Newcastle United decided it would be a great idea to rename the stadium. This was universally met with derision and scathing comments… and seemed the be dropped. After one week stating that from that point henceforth, the ground would be (and must be by all press agencies doing so) referred to as “Sports Direct @ St James’ Park”, this reference was dropped in all the official press releases and it seemed as if the muppets had seen sense.
Apparently not.
Currently under review with Newcastle Council’s planning department are plans to hang several enormous signs from the stadium with the new branding on them. This would turn one of the best-known stadia in the country – which can be seen from miles around due to its elevated position – into an advertising hoarding for one of the tackiest “sports” shops in the country.
Please, take the time to visit the link below. At the time of writing, there were 56 objections to the plans, most of which had been entered today after the news was released on nucf.com. It takes a couple of minutes to register and you don’t need to be a Newcastle resident to do so (though given that locals will vote for councillors, I feel their opinions will be given more attention).
Once you’ve done so, comment on the plans and object. All comments are forwarded to the relevant planning officer. Let’s swamp his inbox!
The links in question:
Application summary and links to plans etc
Application comments posted to date
Pass this information on so as many people as possible know what’s going on. Thank you.
The sad thing is that it is the tackiest sports shop in the country but it’s their money that’s gone into the club. Was the club in a position to say no to the money?
But that aside, the renaming is daft. I’ve filled in the form.
Or rather I will fill the form when it gets round to registering…
Hehe – it only takes a minute and thanks for the extra voice!
The previous owners wanted to sell, Ashley approached them and offered a fair price. The useless fat moron then destroyed the club from within (very publicly and well publicised) and now wants far more than it’s worth to recoup some of his cash if he’s to sell.
Thing is as others have pointed out, there are adverts for the brand inside the stadium and plenty of other advertising spots around it. There’s no need to hang flipping plastic things from the awnings outside.