SFU organised a mini fans forum with director Sid Pepper after the Shrewsbury Town game on 21 September 2024 about the redevelopment of the Bishop Street stand and answer any questions that fans may have. All fans were welcome. Here are our notes on the forum, and also taken from an excellent video produced by the club.
Summary of Key Points from Sid Pepper’s Video and Q&A
Sid started coming to watch the Stags around 5 years ago. He wants to help redevelop the Bishop Street to do something to help Mansfield Town and the local community. Lots of other people have looked at it but turned the job down because they thought it was too difficult.
The plan is to construct a stand which will be all terracing and have a capacity of around 1,400. There will be no seats but the plan is to build around 12 executive boxes with balconies on the roof of the stand which will be around 4m x 3m. There will be a TV gantry in the middle which will take up around 8-9m. There will not be room for any bar area on the roof.
There are currently no detailed plans or drawings of how the finished stand will look. Sid Pepper stated that the final stand will not be hugely different to the existing stand but it will look a lot better visually.
It was decided to use the existing stand because knocking it down and starting from fresh would have taken at least two seasons and would be a lot more expensive. It was decided to make the most of what the club actually had and to try and retain its existing value.
There is a 3 phase plan
Phase 1: Total refurbishment of the existing stand which includes the replacement of the wooden supports to the terracing which will continue to the back of the stand.
Phase 2: Extend the stand towards the Quarry Lane End. It will reach up to the Stitch Up advertising board.
Phase 3: Construction of two staircases at either end of the stand and then building the corporate boxes.
Sid Pepper was hoping to have Phase 1 completed by the end of October. John Radford was more cautious and thought that having something ready by the end of the season was more realistic.
Sid still hopes to have Phase 1 completed by the end of the year as he likes to set himself a target to drive him and the project on.
Phase 2 will hopefully be completed during the 25-26 season and Phase 3 will be for 26-27.
It will be necessary to expand the existing toilets below the Bishop Street so they have a capacity of around 30-35 for the gents. They previously had a capacity of 14. There will be a one way system for the toilets. There will also be ladies and disabled toilets. It may be necessary to put in some portacabins down the side. Kiosks will also be down the side.
It was necessary to approach the stand from the Quarry Lane side like a drift mine. This was easier than going in underneath and knocking down the old toilets. They had to take out a bank and some large tree stumps. The existing steel structure and frame will be kept. The back of the stand will be shot blasted and repainted. The roof will be redone and painted.
The terracing needs to comply with the Green Guide. The terracing will be supported from underneath.
It would have been easier and cheaper to fill in the corners of the stands and that is something that can be looked at once the Bishop Street is completed.
