Following on from the selection process of last week, and final interviews/presentations on 6 May, the winning design team (a consortium of a lead architect and several specialist companies such as pitch designers, structural engineers, mechanical & electrical engineers, etc.) has now been appointed today (10 May) as per the original schedule.
The lead company of architects is the Alan Cotterell Practice Limited (ACP). This is a highly respected practice based in Wolverhampton, who specialise in stadium design.
They were the architects for the Kassam Stadium, the Madejski Stadium, and Molyneux, and their team members were variously involved with the Walker Stadium, Kingston Park (Newcastle Falcons), the Hawthorns, City of Manchester Stadium, the K.C. Stadium, and the Stadium of Light.
They are appointed with immediate effect to produce a detailed design by September this year to coincide with selection of the building contractor and presentation of the whole package to Cabinet in October for authority to proceed to construction. The final construction contract will be at a fixed price and for a fixed delivery date of March 2006.
Consultation with stakeholders and other interested parties will now commence to ensure the design has taken into account all possible requirements and inputs. This process will include individual fans who have expressed an interest to be involved, through a process of workshops with the architects and design forums, around the plans and gradually evolving virtual reality model.
Martin Winter, elected Mayor, also made it quite plain at yesterday's Civic reception, when commenting on the massed hordes of fans outside the Mansion House, that he recognised that the club's success would require a stadium with sufficient capacity to meet our obvious needs.
This good news coincides with the ongoing celebrations of Rovers' success on the pitch this season, and allows the club to move forward with confidence on both the playing and business fronts. Hopefully, 2006 will see us as a First Division club playing in a suitably first class stadium.