In addition to the interview Jon Hale gave to Sunshine's Matt Healey (see earlier article), the Hereford chairman also wrote about the lease situation in the match programme.
'Off the field, there has been much talk over the past 12
months about the lease on Edgar Street, and it is a question I have
fielded more than any other, rightly so. When Hereford FC took on the
lease to the ground in March 2015, the period of tenancy was 5 years,
following lengthy discussions with the landlord, Herefordshire Council.
Our application for the lease came on the back of a very
difficult period for Herefordshire Council in the weeks and months that
led up to the eventual liquidation of Hereford United, and we were under
no illusions about how thorough the Council would be vetting us as
potential tenants.
Our presentations at the time were comprehensive, backed
by a credible business plan, finance and a swathe of support from fans.
These factors eventually persuaded the landlord to offer a 5 year lease
instead of their suggested 2.5 year lease.
18 months on, the Council have marvelled in the club’s
success, and the hugely positive effect it has had on the local
community, the City and the County not least for traders and the general
visitor numbers on match days. Herefordshire Council leader Tony
Johnson visited the ground, on a match day, and was absolutely bowled
over by the fantastic vibe both outside and inside the stadium.
Since then, the club went on to win promotion, two cup
competitions and went to Wembley. The Leader went, and was only too keen
to express his delight at seeing 20,000 Hereford fans at the National
Stadium, when I spoke with him at the Civic Reception in May.
Negotiations are well under way for a new, much longer
lease on the stadium. Decisions need to be taken by the Council as to
the timescale for re-developing the Blackfriars End and that is
something we have no control over.
The club will benefit from Blackfriars End development to
the tune of a new stand at that end of the ground, with whatever
development the Council wish to have behind the stand. If our long term
ambition of reaching the football league is to be realised, we will need
a four sided ground.
The underlying positive is that the club’s success last
season, both on and off the pitch, has given our landlord a very secure,
and well placed, confidence in their tenants and that is a great
progression.
We are hugely encouraged by the Council’s commitment to
have a new lease signed and sealed ‘by the autumn’. Their understanding
and support of the club’s long term ambitions is paramount.'