Tony Mendes - Cargiant

[Kevin Mcleod]

Iirc mk dons made a compulsory purchase order on some property to get the go ahead on their stadium as well.

[W12_Ranger]

I might be getting my wires crossed but surely the fact the land is privately owned is the exact reason there would be a CPO as if it was publically owned there would be no need

Stop blinding us with the bleeding obvious.

This is not public deal its a private land deal. It might have the backing of the local authorities but the regeneration will be funded privately.

On Crossrail land has been aquired with CPO's but its funded by the general public, it comes out of our taxes.

Whose to say another consortium can't produce a regeneration plan which constructs more homes in place of a stadium, which one do you think will get the public backing then?

From the previous things I've read QPR have offered substantially less for the land than what it is really worth. The land requires no CPO, Cargiant do not need to sell it they can develop it themselves or sell to a higher bidder.

[MYU]

This is not public deal its a private land deal. It might have the backing of the local authorities but the regeneration will be funded privately.

On Crossrail land has been aquired with CPO's but its funded by the general public, it comes out of our taxes.

Whose to say another consortium can't produce a regeneration plan which constructs more homes in place of a stadium, which one do you think will get the public backing then?

From the previous things I've read QPR have offered substantially less for the land than what it is really worth. The land requires no CPO, Cargiant do not need to sell it they can develop it themselves or sell to a higher bidder.

How do you know what you've read is not incorrect?

[superhoop67]

How do you know what you've read is not incorrect?

so if this is the case ,everyone on here is talking bowlarks apart from Ted

[W12_Ranger]

How do you know what you've read is not incorrect?

I don't but neither does anyone.

My gut tells me however that Mr Mendes is telling it how it is. I remember the stick I got over the training ground when I suggested the Chairman likes to tell the fans what they want to here but won't follow through this is no different. Have said all along why not just build a normal football stadium why does it need to be attached to a multi billion pound regeneration. To me its all pie in the sky fantasy, why not acquire the land before making the news public? I don't believe it will happen, we'll probably still be playing at Loftus Road in 10 years.

[IASM]

So your gut tells you to believe a used car salesman, who has everything to gain by claiming he's being lowballed?

[MYU]

So you gut tells you to believe a used car salesman, who has everything to gain by claiming he's being lowballed?

I was just thinking along the same lines, it will all be guess work until the club or Mr Mendes says how much they offered?

[IASM]

Exactly. I just think it's silly for people to start taking the side of this guy without knowing the specifics of what's going on and what's being offered.

[camembert]

I don't but neither does anyone.

My gut tells me however that Mr Mendes is telling it how it is. I remember the stick I got over the training ground when I suggested the Chairman likes to tell the fans what they want to here but won't follow through this is no different. Have said all along why not just build a normal football stadium why does it need to be attached to a multi billion pound regeneration. To me its all pie in the sky fantasy, why not acquire the land before making the news public? I don't believe it will happen, we'll probably still be playing at Loftus Road in 10 years.

A 'normal' stadium won't pay the bills, it's ####ing obvious.

The ignorance on this thread is incredible (not aimed at you w12)

Mendes is a #### because he won't gift us the land ?

Jeez.

[Bigears]

My understanding is that a CPO can be requested by a private company or a public organisation like a council, to compulsory purchase any piece of land. This happens to be 99.99% private land as almost all public land requested by this type of request is already owned by the council requesting it.

To get a CPO you need to prove to the government that it is in the best interests of the community, public and surrounding areas that what you are proposing to do. This is why the consortium are making such a big deal out of affordable homes, jobs for the area, improving the local economy as well as improving the overall community and denying this will have a detrimental effect of not doing it.

It gets interesting because Car Giant have said they have plans, and they want to develop it as they can also demonstrate the same big benefits which if thats the case will undermine the case for the CPO for there land.

So this is where the interesting point made by the QPR statement comes in where they say it needs more than just 1 land owner to cooperate, as QPR want to do a very large area, bigger than canary whaf. They have and agreed deals with British Rail, other land owners and have the cooperating and investment of a housing association. Because the CPO request could quite simply come down to "what proposal gives the best benefit, what proposal is advanced and has the financial backing and what proposal has the biggest community support.

If this is correct as it is IMO, would explain why we are being bullish and pushing forward so quickly as this would mean Car Giant may not have the time to develop there proposal, finalize all the finance / housing associations needed, pester the politicians and community for support so will put us in the driving seat. Also if Car Giant are only going to propose to develop there site and NOT other parts like the large area owned by British Rail (they as far as i understand have not open talks) this will also go against them because the development is smaller, as well as that Car Giant would also need planning permission to change the current site from industrial (thas what it is set to now) to residential if they want to put houses on it. Making this request is not easy as it sounds just to build houses to make money. QPR are getting around this by doing the very large re -development project and making other areas industrial like the stadium.

This is all IMO and i have no actual proof just what i have read and put 2 and 2 together (it could add uo to 100000 for all i know), sorry if anyone gets upset, but i find this fascinating dbate and love people thoughts and its great were involved. I do not think any action, step or move made by QPR has been amateurish i think t has been calculated and good. I also dont think any move made by Car Giant amateurish either as they have also made all the right noises they want a piece of the pie and the biggest slice they are gong a good way to get it too. Just laying down and not fighting wont get them that.

[West Acton]

Whose to say another consortium can't produce a regeneration plan which constructs more homes in place of a stadium, which one do you think will get the public backing then?.

They want a stadium on the plot from what was said today at the ground. The stadium drives everything and the other plans for regeneration was given the distinct impression that no stadium means drastically scaled back plans for the site including the new station being scrapped

I mentioned to them that I had seen the sky article about Cargiant not doing business with us and they said so had they; they were not fussed and the man I spoke with appeared more then confident that things would go ahead (perhaps that's his job to appear confident) and they said they will be speaking with Cargiant

[West Acton]

My understanding is that a CPO can be requested by a private company or a public organisation like a council, to compulsory purchase any piece of land. This happens to be 99.99% private land as almost all public land requested by this type of request is already owned by the council requesting it.

To get a CPO you need to prove to the government that it is in the best interests of the community, public and surrounding areas that what you are proposing to do. This is why the consortium are making such a big deal out of affordable homes, jobs for the area, improving the local economy as well as improving the overall community and denying this will have a detrimental effect of not doing it.

It gets interesting because Car Giant have said they have plans, and they want to develop it as they can also demonstrate the same big benefits which if thats the case will undermine the case for the CPO for there land.

So this is where the interesting point made by the QPR statement comes in where they say it needs more than just 1 land owner to cooperate, as QPR want to do a very large area, bigger than canary whaf. They have and agreed deals with British Rail, other land owners and have the cooperating and investment of a housing association. Because the CPO request could quite simply come down to "what proposal gives the best benefit, what proposal is advanced and has the financial backing and what proposal has the biggest community support.

If this is correct as it is IMO, would explain why we are being bullish and pushing forward so quickly as this would mean Car Giant may not have the time to develop there proposal, finalize all the finance / housing associations needed, pester the politicians and community for support so will put us in the driving seat. Also if Car Giant are only going to propose to develop there site and NOT other parts like the large area owned by British Rail (they as far as i understand have not open talks) this will also go against them because the development is smaller, as well as that Car Giant would also need planning permission to change the current site from industrial (thas what it is set to now) to residential if they want to put houses on it. Making this request is not easy as it sounds just to build houses to make money. QPR are getting around this by doing the very large re -development project and making other areas industrial like the stadium.

This is all IMO and i have no actual proof just what i have read and put 2 and 2 together (it could add uo to 100000 for all i know), sorry if anyone gets upset, but i find this fascinating dbate and love people thoughts and its great were involved. I do not think any action, step or move made by QPR has been amateurish i think t has been calculated and good. I also dont think any move made by Car Giant amateurish either as they have also made all the right noises they want a piece of the pie and the biggest slice they are gong a good way to get it too. Just laying down and not fighting wont get them that.

That was my understanding of a CPO plus your assumptions on our involvement being key would also appear correct. I went today thinking our part was the stadium and immediate surrounding areas of it but left with the understanding we are major partners in this project and are involved in every aspect of it well outside the boundaries of the stadium

[TBLOCKRANGER]

It does look strange and must agree with those posters who say if the club's grand training ground plans at Warren Farm were thwarted by a consortium of dog walkers, Bees fans, local pensioners and model plane enthusiasts how is the club going to beat a well funded opponent who owns the land. Warren Farm the council owned the land and supported the club and the club still don't appear any closer to achieving it's goal.
Also is Car Giants argument really one of price or is he saying simply I'm not selling.
From the article it appears to me that CG are saying they will redevelop the land themselves to include residential homes thus making redundant any need for CPO. If the owner is redeveloping for benefit of the community, then it appears a CPO may not be a viable option and would be refused and if QPR try to force their hand, CG would legally challenge and from the sound of the owner he thinks they will win.
Considering the WF consortium made threats of legal action and that stopped QPR in their tracks, I'm not feeling confident.
What I think the problem is, is that QPR like with the training ground and also those early pointless transfers, have gone in feet first without thinking and then have to sort out the mess afterwards.
Wonder whether it would have been more prudent to have asked CG to become partners and work together than play hard ball by making offers and threatening to take their land.

[W12_Ranger]

A 'normal' stadium won't pay the bills, it's ####ing obvious.

The ignorance on this thread is incredible (not aimed at you w12)

Mendes is a #### because he won't gift us the land ?

Jeez.

Maybe Mr Mendes is full off hot air but these direct quotes from him tell me Cargiants 45 acres are not going to simply be handed over to QPR and that there is potential to sell the land to higher bidder. Playing this out in the public forum the way the club has doesn't seem to be a positive thing to me. It makes me laugh really when I think our Warren Farm proposal was defeated by a few NIMBY's and our fans seem to think Cargiant can be just brushed aside.


EXCLUSIVE: QPR will not have a new stadium built in Old Oak by 2018 “in a million Sundays” according to Tony Mendes, managing director of Cargiant.


The car supermarket, who are currently located on the 30-acre site in Willesden, own a further 15 acres in the area and are drawing up plans to redevelop the site themselves.

Mr Mendes has not ruled out working with QPR in the future but, up to this point, the two have not been able to come to an agreement about purchasing the land.

Asked if QPR could build a stadium on the land by 2018, he said: “Not in a million Sundays. It is never going to happen, it is a crazy timeline – they’ve admitted that to us.

“We know that we will potentially be on this site for the next seven to 10 years.

“The ball is in their court – they can use the Greater London Authority for leverage as much as they like but effectively we are going to be in the GLA’s vision when we bring forward our plans.

“The GLA are not concerned about a new stadium. What they want is someone who is going to develop here very, very quickly so they can have the residential units in place.”

Mr Mendes explained that contact between the two parties has previously been poor.

“We don’t want to take the club on – we very much have the club in our heart,” he said. “I have supported the club since I was a kid, 1977 was my first game. I went to Christopher Wren School round the corner from the ground, and have been a season ticket holder for years.

“We used to sponsor QPR – we supported the club when it was on its knees.”

In December 2013 QPR released a statement outlining the club’s plans for a new 40,000-seater stadium after they gained support from all the major bodies required – the Greater London Authority (GLA), relevant local authorities, Network Rail and the influential Genesis Housing Group.

Titled ‘New Queens Park’, the plans involve a major regeneration of the area, including up to 24,000 new homes and creating at least 50,000 jobs.

Chairman Tony Fernandes said as recently as July that he was still confident that the club would be in the new stadium by 2018 but Mr Mendes has ruled that out.

He said: “To be offered the kind of money QPR put forward is a non-starter. We paid for the last 10 acres we bought here 10 years ago – we paid £5million an acre.

“It is as if someone tells you that you are leaving your three-bedroom house and we would like it if you could move to a studio flat down the road.

“We have had better offers from other people – substantially better offers, hundreds of millions of pounds better, who are ultimately who they will have to compete with.“I don’t think they can move anywhere else in the borough. With Unigate and the BBC sites bought, this site now represents their last chance to move and remain in the area.

“It would be great if QPR get a new stadium – it is the logical thing to do. Everyone is doing it, Brentford will be building a new one.

“We are a friend of the club and we don’t want to get into ### for tat but this is a business deal which needs to be done round a table.

“They are using the fans to take cheap shots – we don’t want to play that card.”

Mr Mendes said the plans released by QPR last year sent shockwaves through the company, who have 700 employees, including Les Ferdinand’s aunt.

He added: “That upset a lot of staff here because it was released a couple of weeks before Christmas and they were thinking, ‘ok, what is going to happen with our jobs?’

“That was done so Anthony Spencer, who has been working in partnership with the club, could get his foot in the door here for a meeting.”

Mr Mendes says Mr Spencer, who owns Stadium Capital Development, was unable to find Cargiant an alternative location and talks between the two parties has stopped since QPR made an offer to buy the site which was turned down.

He said: “What we said to QPR was to not make any more noises about us – we would find a site because we know best what we need in a new site.

“We told them that we would find a site as and when we could but as you keep on making noises, what money are you prepared to pay for the site?

“They came up with a figure, which was a derisory figure. I said ‘really? That isn’t even going to pay for relocation costs’.

“They came back with a slightly revised figure but again not something that was going to get us excited.

“We said ‘if that is your best offer why don’t you put it in writing?’ But they said they couldn’t do that.

“I said it doesn’t really constitute a formal offer unless it is put in writing.

“So it is not as if things have ended sour, we just said that we really don’t have anything further to discuss at the moment – this was around May.

“The word posturing has been used a couple of times. Actually we are spending £10million plus on putting forward our plans to the GLA using a company called First Base, so that is some pretty expensive posturing.

“We are dead serious about it – we have got the money to do it and we have got the backing to do it.”

[Hubble]

Paranoid scenario: All this 'I love QPR' from Tony is bull - we are just a Trojan Horse for him to get this site, redevelop it, and make billions. QPR is just the convenient way in. Okay, that's totally paranoid, but there must be an element of truth in it, why else would Tony and the Mittals be on board? For the fun of funding a flailing (I meant to write flailing) Yo-Yo club with a ground that holds 18,000 to the tune of millions? Discuss.