Following continued concerns from a number of supporters after last Friday's feature on the relocation of the dugout's we have now carried out a full review of the proposed plans. As part of the review process the actual view of the pitch from all seats in the general area was tested, any seat that does not have a clear view of the near side touch line above the roof of the dugout has been classified as affected. The affected area includes; Block E of The Bill Axbey Stand rows A to I seat numbers 104 to 123. Following this process the design of the dugout framework has been amended slightly to lower the overall height of the structure by about 6 inches in an effort to limit the impact to existing seats. As a further result of the review we have created a very simple mock up of the dugout framework to give a better indication regarding the impact of the restriction to the view of all seats affected in The Bill Axbey Stand.

Over the course of the next couple of weeks, to aid and assist those supporters looking to purchase their Season Tickets, the Club would like to invite those concerned about the effect on the view from their seat, to visit Griffin Park where we will be happy to take you through the changes and show you the view from any seat in The Bill Axbey Stand.
The main body of supporters within the affected area has already been contacted by letter whilst the Ticket Office staff are now in the process of contacting supporters in those seats that have been reclassified as affected under this review.

Whilst we believe approximately 60 seats will be lost from The Bill Axbey Stand, the same number of seats will be available in the location of the old dugouts with perfect pitch side views from the Bees United (formerly Braemar Road) Stand. These seats have been reserved for those supporters directly displaced from The Bill Axbey Stand.
Every effort will be made to minimise the inconvenience to existing and new Season Ticket holders and supporters alike. It is also acknowledged by the Club that whilst delays were experienced in getting confirmation of the design of the dugouts and the ability to deliver the work on time by the manufacturer and building contractor, the communication of the full detail of these proposals to supporters could have been significantly improved. Work is expected to start on the construction of the new dugouts in the first two weeks of June with assurances that work will be completed prior to the first of the pre season friendlies.

During the course of the review the following options were considered;

#1 Take no action and leave dugouts in current position

Current Football League regulation changes regarding size and seating capacity of dugouts requires the dugouts at the very least to be re-sized within the Bees United Stand Paddock area. Taking the above into account, Andy Scott, with the agreement of the Executive Team, requested the Club look into the feasibility of moving the home dugout to a more centralised position. At the same time and in accordance with strict Football League regulations there would also be a need to move the away dugout.

#2 Relocate dugouts further along the Paddock area

Having reviewed the impact of moving along the Paddock area it was decided that logistically this would be difficult as the steeper angle of the lower rows of seating along with the position of exits and roof pylon's would mean that the actual shelter part of the dugout would effect a significant number of seats. A further consideration was the safety regulations which would require significant building work to comply.

#3 Relocate dugouts as initial proposal to The Bill Axbey Stand

Whilst we understand that the plan to relocate the dugouts has lead to a number of our Season Ticket holders and supporters in general to have a number of concerns, the review concluded that taking into account all of the circumstances, the decision to move to the Bill Axbey Stand will have far less impact and cost implications than moving along the Paddock. However the initial design of the skin and framework of the dugout has now been amended slightly lowering the overall height and impact of the dugout by about 6 inches.