Stadium Unsafe Claims

By: Bill Osborne
Date: 23/04/2001

The Great Coates Civic Society who are still campaigning against the new stadium development near Great Coates have launched another attack on the project using the explosion at Conoco as a reason to rethink the positioning of the stadium.

In a statement to The Grimsby Telegraph vice-chairman Ray Lawrance said: "The proximity of the blast is a big concern and always has been. Although the bang was a few miles away, we could feel the effects here and if you were in a packed stadium it would panic you."

"It is quite feasible the structure could be damaged and it would descend into chaos. A bank holiday afternoon match would have timed exactly with the explosion. We get many curious smells around here and it would only take one person to say something to spark off a scare."

"We have always felt very strongly about the plans, It is wrong to situate it somewhere so heavily populated. There is still time to stop the plans and we must fight it."

The Great Coates Civic Society said it had received scores of calls from concerned residents after the blast and the group has said one of its biggest fears has now been realised.

Mariners stadium developer Gerald Knight said: "The stadium is not proposed to be built in Great Coates. It is in a different area. The safety issues are dealt with by the Health and Safety Executive. The planning application shows they have assessed the risk and they have no objections."

"The HSE would not wish to advise against the development on safety grounds as the developments are entirely beyond the consultation distance of Novartis."

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