Bristol Rovers CEO Tom Gorringe expressed deep condolences to the team.

Bristol Rovers CEO provides an update on the South Stand as construction at the Mem continues.
Bristol Rovers CEO Tom Gorringe spoke to fans in the matchday programme ahead of the club’s match versus Wigan Athletic.
Bristol Rovers CEO Tom Gorringe indicated that “development has continued at a pace” on the new South Stand at the Mem, but that completion is still “a number of weeks away.” It has also been disclosed that solar panels would be installed on top of the structure.

 

Gasheads will have been able to watch the development done on the new stand that will sit opposite the Thatcher’s End during the month of September, and will have remarked the tremendous scale of the construction.

As Bristol Live reported last month, Rovers have continued work on the new stand in the hope that planning permission will be granted quickly, with a target date of October 18 penciled in for the committee at Bristol City Hall to decide on the application as part of a ‘fast-track’ process due to the city’s significant planning permission backlog.
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Despite over 200 letters of opposition, support for the structure’s construction has been overwhelming, with the number of letters of acceptance exceeding 800 a month ago.

The club had intended that building of the new stand, which will seat an additional 3,414 fans, would be completed during the off-season while fans were not there, destroying the old temporary ‘tents.’ However, it was revealed in a statement released ahead of the first home game of the season against Barnsley that this would not be the case, adding that “due to issues outside of the club’s control, the new South Stand development will not be ready for the start of the season.”

“As you will see, the South Stand development has continued at a pace since the last game, and the majority of the steel structure is now in place,” Gorringe wrote in his programme notes before of Rovers’ 4-1 victory over Wigan Athletic last Saturday. Hopefully, you can see the size of the new development and the benefits it will bring to the stadium when it is finished.

“During this process we have learnt the need to better communicate with the local residents so we have set up a new committee which will meet at the stadium regularly throughout the season,” he stated. “The first meeting was earlier this week, and we were able to give residents an update on our current plans.”

As part of an ongoing two-way conversation, consider their feedback and respond to their queries.

“These meetings will become a regular feature throughout the year with an-ongoing dialogue to ensure that we are all working together to make improvements.”