The Beaumont Leys Forum

[Quorndon_Fox]

Not sure if it’s ever been mentioned on here before but I thought some members may be interested.

 

In March 1977 development plans for the Beaumont Leys area of Leicester were published and include speculative proposals for a 35,000-capacity, all seater stadium, complete with synthetic pitch. The board quickly resolved to reject any move from Filbert Street, so plans were shelved.

 

 

[Hitesh]

That would have been something much ahead of it's time, looks good too! 

[davieG]

Yeah but Beaumont Leys would have been awful for the fans.

 

Bede Island was the best idea shame the folks on Western Road put that down even though they would have had the Great Central Way between and hardly any nearer than Filbert St.

[Cropwellfox]

15 minutes ago, Quorndon_Fox said:

Not sure if it’s ever been mentioned on here before but I thought some members may be interested.

 

In March 1977 development plans for the Beaumont Leys area of Leicester were published and include speculative proposals for a 35,000-capacity, all seater stadium, complete with synthetic pitch. The board quickly resolved to reject any move from Filbert Street, so plans were shelved.

 

 

Seem to remember there being plans for an ice rink under the stadium as well as shops etc.

[westernpark]

For my undergraduate dissertation, I analysed the development of Beaumont Leys from potential satellite town to its current state. 
I found there was also a residents group formed to oppose a potential stadium in the area, they brought hooliganism rather than regeneration benefits (or viewed to in the 1970s-1980s) then!

For my MA and one day hopefully PHD, I looked at football stadiums within the planning system, retaining heritage via location or design etc. For context of the Beaumont Leys stadium, try and think of a new stadium relocation in the 1970s- it just never happened in this period.

Early 1990s we could have seen an expansion that might have been sufficient to see us stay at Filbert Street but this was rejected upon the grounds of blocking light and potential noise disturbance. Despite the club attempting to mitigate with community benefits and amenity to residents.

We then nearly ended up on the other side of the soar(there are some nice pictures going round) but I think from memory this was rejected because retail space came with it, that contradicted local plan or spatial plan. 
 

[westernpark]

4 minutes ago, Cropwellfox said:

Seem to remember there being plans for an ice rink under the stadium as well as shops etc.

Yes there was, for an ice hockey team specifically mentioned from sources I saw.

[phoneticerror]

8 minutes ago, davieG said:

Yeah but Beaumont Leys would have been awful for the fans.

 

Bede Island was the best idea shame the folks on Western Road put that down even though they would have had the Great Central Way between and hardly any nearer than Filbert St.

I’d be ok with it. Could walk in 20 mins 😂

[Cropwellfox]

2 minutes ago, westernpark said:

For my undergraduate dissertation, I analysed the development of Beaumont Leys from potential satellite town to its current state. 
I found there was also a residents group formed to oppose a potential stadium in the area, they brought hooliganism rather than regeneration benefits (or viewed to in the 1970s-1980s) then!

For my MA and one day hopefully PHD, I looked at football stadiums within the planning system, retaining heritage via location or design etc. For context of the Beaumont Leys stadium, try and think of a new stadium relocation in the 1970s- it just never happened in this period.

Early 1990s we could have seen an expansion that might have been sufficient to see us stay at Filbert Street but this was rejected upon the grounds of blocking light and potential noise disturbance. Despite the club attempting to mitigate with community benefits and amenity to residents.

We then nearly ended up on the other side of the soar(there are some nice pictures going round) but I think from memory this was rejected because retail space came with it, that contradicted local plan or spatial plan. 
 

Pre the Carling stand being built, there was talk about somehow turning the pitch at filbert street 90 degrees and then having the double decker down one side and more space to build bigger stands on the rest of the site

[westernpark]

6 minutes ago, Cropwellfox said:

Pre the Carling stand being built, there was talk about somehow turning the pitch at filbert street 90 degrees and then having the double decker down one side and more space to build bigger stands on the rest of the site

Yes just had to read what I put but that was it, the rotation would cause the stand to disproportionately block the sunlight to Burnmoor Street. They also had a covenant removed in the early 90s to enable greater expansion.

[Lionator]

What other stadiums were built around that era? I’m thinking it may have looked something like Villa Park/Anfield? 

[Quorndon_Fox]

49 minutes ago, westernpark said:

Yes just had to read what I put but that was it, the rotation would cause the stand to disproportionately block the sunlight to Burnmoor Street. They also had a covenant removed in the early 90s to enable greater expansion.

There’s a photo of that in fossils and foxes, I’ll try and dig it out.

[Groby_Blue]

To think we missed out on this and the planned monorail system. Dark days. 

[Sol thewall Bamba]

Were there ever any detailed drawings of this or the Bede Island stadium drawn up? That drawing looks like two tiers the whole way round which would have been cool.

[Danizen]

1 hour ago, Quorndon_Fox said:

Not sure if it’s ever been mentioned on here before but I thought some members may be interested.

 

In March 1977 development plans for the Beaumont Leys area of Leicester were published and include speculative proposals for a 35,000-capacity, all seater stadium, complete with synthetic pitch. The board quickly resolved to reject any move from Filbert Street, so plans were shelved.

 

 

I'm trying to place it. Is that the current site of the shopping centre with the police station in the top left?

[Corky]

1 hour ago, davieG said:

Yeah but Beaumont Leys would have been awful for the fans.

 

Bede Island was the best idea shame the folks on Western Road put that down even though they would have had the Great Central Way between and hardly any nearer than Filbert St.

They'd have put buses on for fans from the centre and train station, you'd have thought?

[Cropwellfox]

6 minutes ago, Danizen said:

I'm trying to place it. Is that the current site of the shopping centre with the police station in the top left?

Think it’s where the shopping centre was built yep. 

[Corky]

1 hour ago, Cropwellfox said:

Pre the Carling stand being built, there was talk about somehow turning the pitch at filbert street 90 degrees and then having the double decker down one side and more space to build bigger stands on the rest of the site

Portsmouth were going to do similar with Fratton Park.

[davieG]

1 hour ago, Corky said:

They'd have put buses on for fans from the centre and train station, you'd have thought?

That's ok before but can you imagine £35k all trying to leave at once and most going in the same direction back through town to the South and South East.

[Cropwellfox]

1 hour ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

Were there ever any detailed drawings of this or the Bede Island stadium drawn up? That drawing looks like two tiers the whole way round which would have been cool.

I think I had a drawing of the Beaumont Leys stadium from somewhere. From memory it was fully two tiers and had the little diagonal cutouts at each of the corners. 

[Corky]

24 minutes ago, davieG said:

That's ok before but can you imagine £35k all trying to leave at once and most going in the same direction back through town to the South and South East.

This was a long time ago so maybe buses go to different parts of the county, even another train station put in etc? Finding suitable places for big grounds in city centres is tough.

 

I think Bede Island South would have been the best option overall.

[Heathrow fox]

As someone has already mentioned.Fossils and Foxes covers the Beaumont Leys and pitch rotation potential developments.The BL stadium was going to be all seater.Looks quite good on paper but I have a feeling it would have aged pretty badly.

[Footballwipe]

12 hours ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

Were there ever any detailed drawings of this or the Bede Island stadium drawn up? That drawing looks like two tiers the whole way round which would have been cool.

You might have seen this one and tbh it's not 'detailed' but the topic of where we might have moved to fascinates me so any excuse to post it

 

 

I was doing a Google search for that image as I knew it existed and came across a really old City Council document about Bede Island South. Thought this passage was quite funny/sad (depending on your mood)

 

Edited 19 August by Footballwipe

[FoxesTalker]

Thanks for posting this @Quorndon_Fox, not sure I've ever seen this before and always find stadium related stuff interesting.

[Corky]

Yeah, I like the alternate reality of where we might have been, what it would look like, matchdays etc.