HELPING TO SHAPE THE ARENA BY KEV MONKS
On a wet and miserable Wednesday morning in Coventry,the Coventry Disabled People's Development Advisory Group in conjunction with CV1 met Charles Rayner from Arena Coventry,Stadium architect Frazer McNally and members from builders Lang O'Rourke.
Aided by the fly thru computer aided graphics and described in details for the blind and partially sighted members of the group, Charles Rayner told those assembled that the Arena Coventry company was responsible for the tenants of the Arena and that a company called FMC which is part of the Compass Group had been given the contract for the catering for all stadia events.
He joked that all the traffic problems currently around the Arena would be solved by 2005.
The exhibition halls at the Arena which cover an area of 6,000 square metres,have been designed in conjunction with the NEC Group.
The halls can hold up to 7,500 depending on the event and the seating arrangements can be organised to suit the event.
One such event could be the World Snooker Championships. As many of you know,these are traditionally held at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. However,that venue only holds 1,500 and the tournament organisers have been looking at bigger venues in the hope of attracting a bigger audience.
Arena Coventry are looking into AV sets and hearing loops for every room with an audio description service like Arsenal currently have,so that blind people know exactly where they are in the stadium or one of it's other buildings and that those with sight or hearing problems can listen to either the match or to speakers in the exhibition and conference areas.
The seating through the Arena is to be provided by Arena Seating Ltd (whether they are anything to do with Mike McGinnity's PEL PLC seating company,I have yet to discover) and will be fully flexible so that wheel chairs are catered as are the needs of ambient disabled people like myself.
The Arena Company are very aware of the forthcoming Disabled and Disabilities Act which comes into effect on October 1st this year and are determined to make the stadium as disabled friendly as possible.
One criteria of this act is signage and the company will ensure that it is up to the highest standards and suitable for all disabilities in terms of providing information and in an emergency.
All the conference suites which can be turned into hotel rooms with ensuite facilities(although an operator has not yet been appointed) will be disabled accessible with four of the seventy bedrooms being slightly larger, although it will be up to the hotel to provide certain facilities for all disabilities. The rooms will also be non-smoking.
Incidentally, to turn a executive box into a hotel room complete with double bed and everything else you would expect to find in a hotel takes only two and a half minutes.
For us mere mortals who are unlikely ever to venture into the corporate side of things, all the wheel chair ramps are to be accessible from ground level and there will be viewing platforms for wheelchair bound supporters all the way around the Arena.
Now one problem is that supporters often stand up and block the view of those in wheel chairs sat behind. To combat this, Arena Coventry and the ticket office have not included the two rows in front of the platform in the seating plan.
All areas for wheelchair users will not be more than 45 metres away from a disabled toilet.
Talking of standing up, the lack of leg room comment which has been levelled at the West Terrace will end as leg room in the North,South and East Stands will be 720mm and a massive 780mm in the West Stand, compared to the West Terrace where the leg room is only around 500mm.
There will be 66 disabled free parking spaces for blue badge holders like myself and woe betide anyone who tries to park in there who shouldn't. Mr Raynor viewed clamping as a last resort but insisted that there would be cctv all around the stadium and miscreants would be dealt with.
Transport to and from the stadium is likely to be a nightmare. As many of you know,the Sky Blue Trust are very actively involved with assisting with the Green Travel Plan, but one system might be the Coventry Rapid Transit system.
Due to start in April 2009, this new type of bus cum tram which uses the normal seven metre road , will take only eleven minutes to travel from Coventry Station which could have a new plaza so that all the buses to Kenilworth,Leamington etc and the 17 & 27 bendibuses all leave from the same stops.
The service will start from the existing park n ride service at the Memorial Park,travel to the railway station,through the Bull Yard,past the Council House and Coventry University. So effectively three stops in town.
Then into the redeveloped Swanswell (where Cov & Warwick hospital currently is),over to Electric Wharf and down the side of the railway line to the Arena,the Prologis Park and Keresley Newland with an off-shoot going to District Centre and Longford. Eventually, the line as it is called, will go to Bedworth and Nuneaton.
New traffic lights similar to what the trams have in Manchester,Sheffield and Nottingham will be installed to let this service get through the Coventry traffic.
A bid for £38m to fund this highly commendable project went to Government in July and a decision is expected in December.
If it is successful and Coventry does end up with a fully integrated transport system,then there is a chance that the Jaguar Arena may be able to stage some of the 2012 London Olympic football and hockey matches.
Future meetings are planned and I'll keep you informed of developments.