Questions over the future of Coventry City’s Ryton training ground have gone unanswered.
The Telegraph sought clarification over a number of issues surrounding the first-team training base on behalf of supporters this week. But a list of eight questions has not been answered by club officials or owners Sisu.
The club’s response was to direct us to minutes of a CCFC Supporters Consultative Group meeting, which they said would answer “most” of the questions.
The enquiries came after the Telegraph revealed the Ryton training ground had been included in Rugby Borough Council’s local plan as a possible location for housing at the request of the land owners Sisu company, Otium Entertainment.
One key area of concern is where any proceeds from the sale of Ryton would go. Land Registry documents show the land is owned by Otium Entertainment and the company secured the site for £360,000 in July 2013. Similar-sized plots of land in the Rugby Borough Council area have been valued at more than £2million when sold off for housing.
Companies House documents appear to show that Sisu’s Cayman Island based firm Arvo Master Fund has a charge secured against the Ryton ground and that it would have first claim to the proceeds of any sale. Questions over whether any profit could be diverted back into Coventry City or a replacement training ground have been ignored.
Another recurring question from supporters has been whether Otium Entertainment director and CCFC interim manager Mark Venus has any involvement in the potential redevelopment of Ryton through property firm Dedham Vale Homes, where he is listed as a director. Mr Venus presented proposals for 76 homes at the Leamington Road site to Ryton Parish Council earlier this month.
But this month, CCFC chairman Tim Fisher re-assured a meeting of supporters Mr Venus’s firm would not be involved in the redevelopment of Ryton.
He told the SCG: “Mark Venus is a director. Mark, way before he joined this football club, had an interest in a building company in Essex – he is not going to be building houses in Ryton.”
Initial enquiries to Rugby Borough Council have also indicated Dedham Vale Homes is not one of the many housing developers who have contacted the local authority about the potential of building houses on the Leamington Road site.
Mr Fisher also told the SCG: “We do want to move to a site that allows us to co-locate the academy and the first-team. Can we please set aside the notion that this is some sort of asset-stripping exercise?
“So we are all clear, in terms of land value then we have not discovered oil beneath Ryton - so we are not talking a huge uplift in value.
“We are talking a value that will allow us to buy another site and set up a basic infrastructure to facilitate a new training ground.”
Rugby Borough Council and Sport England, as a statuary planning consultee, would want to assess the impact of sporting facilities in the area before planning permission for houses at Ryton is granted.
However, that doesn’t guarantee a like-for-like replacement would have to be built in order for planning permission to be granted.
Sport England policy suggests they would decide not to object if they felt there were already adequate facilities elsewhere in the area. Rugby Borough Council could also ignore any objection from Sport England - although this would likely see the planning objection referred to central government for a final decision.
What we asked:
Is Dedham Vale Home (a property firm which lists Mark Venus as a director) in any way involved in the potential redevelopment of the club’s Ryton training ground?
Companies House documents show that Sisu company Arvo Master Fund has an active charge secured against Ryton. Does this mean that any proceeds from the sale of Ryton would go directly to Arvo rather than Otium / CCFC?
Should Ryton be sold off for redevelopment, would / could funds from Ryton be re-invested back into the club or into a new training facility?
Alternatively, would revenue from the sale of Ryton go towards paying off the club’s debts with the owners?
Has an alternative site for a training base been identified? If so, can you give any more details as to its whereabouts, scale and a time frame for delivery?
Does the club intend to build a new training base or rent facilities?
Will the first team and Academy both be housed at the new facilities, as outlined in the five-point plan issued in January 2015?
What measures are planned to ensure adherence to Sport England and Rugby Borough Council guidelines over the replacement of lost sports facilities as a result of potential property development at Ryton?
The full minutes of the SCG meeting at which Ryton was discussed are available here.
