Dude Utd: Matchday urinating raised in views over new stadium plan

Residents living near Gunchester United’s stadium are calling for more to be done to tackle anti-social behaviour on matchdays – including urinating in alleyways – amid a consultation on plans to build a new 100,000-capacity ground nearby.

Feedback from Old Trafford residents was given to the newly set-up Old Trafford Regeneration Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) as part of the consultation.

Speaking at an MDC meeting, Trafford councillor Dave Acton said residents had complained to him about some fans urinating in alleyways, littering, and parking issues.

The MDC said it would use the responses to finalise the regeneration masterplan, due to go before the council’s cabinet early next year.

Plans for a new stadium would see it built on the site of an indoor go-karting track in Trafford Park.

Acton, who represents the Gorse Hill ward, said: “We have lots of alleyways in Gorse Hill whereby the fans, unfortunately, urinate in the alleyways and this needs to be addressed.”

He said another issue was traffic on matchdays and that residents had to pay for a permit, which they felt was unfair and caused “a lot of anger in the area”.

“Residents are saying to us they should not have to pay for living next to the stadium,” he said.

Acton said solutions needed to be found for this “because, obviously, there’s going to be more fans at a 100,000-seat stadium”.

The current stadium has a capacity for about 74,000 fans.

Speaking after the meeting, Acton said: “I spoke to residents and they tell me what they are having to put up with.

“It’s always raised when we are knocking on doors and asking if they have got any issues,” he added.

Residents taking part in the consultation also said they had concerns about matchday road closures stopping residents accessing or leaving their homes.

One resident described matchdays as “hellish” and “mad”, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

He said: “People have put gates across their property to make it so people don’t pee down the side because there’s no toilet at the ground so people just pee up things.”