A businessman who supports United is blocking City’s plans to build a world-beating training complex – by selling his land to fellow Reds.
Shaun O’Brien has set up a website, Unite Against City, offering square-foot blocks of land at his vehicle-recovery company near the Etihad Stadium.
The Blues want to spend £100m transforming a run-down 80-acre plot near the ground – but progress threatens to be stalled by Mr O’Brien’s refusal to leave.
We understand that he was offered around £1m to go – but has rejected the money. A compulsory purchase order to try to force him to sell at market value has now been issued.
But Mr O’Brien has launched a last-ditch campaign calling on other United fans to support his ‘David and Goliath’ battle. He is offering plots of his land at OB Trucks, on Quinn Street, for £250 per square foot – and says he hopes to sell a minimum of 5,000 plots, which would work out at £1.25m.
Manchester City's £100m training campus plans
On his website, Mr O’Brien says that his campaign is designed to ‘prevent Manchester City’s attempts to acquire our land in Eastlands, Manchester, in order to further their goals of football domination . . . and show City they can’t bulldoze over everything in their path just because they have more money than anyone else’.
He describes his scheme as an investment opportunity, claiming City would have to negotiate individually for each plot. He acknowledges that buyers may not get back their full investment – but says it is not a scam and he will transfer ownership through the Land Registry.
He tells United fans another reason to buy is to get ‘payback’ for the 6-1 derby defeat at Old Trafford this season.
Beswick-born Mr O’Brien insisted he supported the regeneration plans but did not want to be forced out – and said he had the ‘moral high ground’.
He said the website was his way of ‘fighting back’ and revealed he had received hate mail and threats since it emerged he was refusing to sell.
Mr O’Brien said: "I was taught that if somebody wants something of yours and will not negotiate reasonably and brings a big stick with them, you don’t roll over. I am a Mancunian and fully support all that is being done in this area. What I am against is the methods used to carry out the plans.
"This land will be owned by them sooner or later – I accept that. But as I have been here for 15 years, putting my blood, sweat and tears into it, should I just hand it over and let them take advantage of the recession and depressed property values?"
The ambitious training complex plans include a 7,000-capacity arena, community facilities and a sixth-form college.
Backers say the project would create 250 jobs and kick-start development in one of Britain’s poorest neighbourhoods.
Plans for the training complex were unveiled after years of research which saw City chiefs visit more than 30 elite sports venues across the world. A public consultation exercise showed local people were overwhelmingly in favour.
Last October, we revealed Mr O’Brien’s firm was one of just four in the area still to agree compensation packages to go. Dozens of other firms had already accepted.
The three other businesses potentially facing CPOs were Tyre Save on Score Street, Mantax on Corbett Street, and New Life Windows on Quinn Street.
Town hall chiefs said all companies were offered ‘reasonable sums’ with packages believed to have included market-value sums for land, relocation costs and compensation money.
It is understood that New Life Windows have also objected to the purchase but discussions are ongoing with cab firm Mantax and Tyre Save. A decision on the CPO is expected to be made by government before the end of the year.
A spokesman for Manchester council said: "Anyone buying land, even a small plot, should take independent legal advice and inspect the land before buying.
"By Mr O’Brien’s own admission on his website, there is absolutely no guarantee that anyone buying one of these plots of land would be able to recover their costs.
"We have made a CPO for this land. This would not have been necessary if Mr O’Brien had been prepared to sell it at a realistic price and accept the football club’s offer of help to relocate his business.
"The Unite Against City scheme is in no one’s best interests, except Mr O’Brien’s. The valuation he is placing on his land is far in excess of anything in Manchester and would make it equivalent to the most-expensive plots in the most-expensive areas of London.
"However, it will not significantly impact on this ambitious regeneration scheme because it was always recognised that there is a possibility that a CPO might be necessary and ultimately the government will decide whether to grant the order based on what is in the public interest."
Manchester City declined to comment.
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HOW BITTER CAN YOU GET !!
Football fans are stupid.
Still hurting from the1-6 !...,,Greed Greed and more Greed OB !.
So this guy makes £250k more than he would have done by trying to ripe off United fans instead, and the MEN are giving this guy publicity.
Pathetic opportunism. What are Utd fans scared of?
Envy is eating him up
Mr O'Brien if you can find any idiot to pay you that money good luck to you, but you are just a greedy man you want more for the land then it's worth, and if you do sell it do you think that will stop City from going ahead with there perches, what City should do is go ahead with there complex around your land then see who will buy it.
Sounds like a good way to make a million.Does he really think people are that gullible
oh dear oh dear, is this what united fans have resorted to? You can't holt progress, United fans......you couldn't make it up. Tick Tock
What a sad and greedy man. Why obstruct a scheme to improve an area in need of investment, which will create jobs and provide world class sporting facilities and a college for the community - regardless of footballing loyalties?
This sums up how short sighted some people are.
Seriously mate, grow up. "To get them back for the 6-1" are you a five year old. I really do despair.
Good idea. Stand in the way of some much needed urban development because of some childish little hang up about which football team you support. I can almost taste the bitterness from here.
Payback fro the 6-1? You got your noses well and truly rubbed in it, get over it and move on there will be plenty more opportunities for pay back on the pitch. The backwards little Englander mentality of this child in a man's body brings shame on every united fan, I refuse to believe he represents the thoughts and wishes of most of them.
Such a sad bitter red. Talk about cutting your nose off to spite your face. Robbing the local community of a much needed boost purely because you support a particular team. Makes me wonder how he's managed to run a business at all.
personally hate football, but correct me if iam wrong this stadium will create jobs for the local area, is planned to be used to the benefit of kids allowing them place to train etc, will give new life to a run down area and this guy wants to stop that because they wear a different colour shirt to the ones he supports wears, selfish, ignorant neanderthal idiot,
""Anyone buying land, even a small plot, should take independent legal advice and inspect the land before buying"
absolutely, guy will earn 1.25m and can the purchasers charge him rent for their bit of land, is his business to remain on it, or will become derelict, if becomes derelict are the purchasers then responsible for the upkeep of their land. ridiculous idea and i hope nobody is silly enough to buy any of it.
And they call City fans bitter.
What an idiot.
They could just build it somewhere much much cheaper.
And they call us 'bitter'.
Hopefully the council would intervene here as City will be making much better use of the land and pumping money in to the local economy.
Now as a fellow RED I sympathise with MrO´Briens plight but like the article says ...there is only 1 winner here...Mr O´Brien ... he wants United supporters to pay him 250 per sq foot for land which is already under a compulsary purchase order thereby giving him 1.25 million...BUT anyone fool enough to buy into this scheme will then have to negotiate with `the enemy´ in order to get their money back...and they may not get it all ... but Mr O´Brien is sitting pretty with his money which I guess is more than he would get dealing directly with City...thank you very much...you would have to be a total idiot to go along with that...sorry Mr O´Brien ... stop moaning and get on with the sale...it must be at leat 10 times more than you paid for the land in the first place...and then you can re-locate you business...perhaps nearer to The Theatre Of Dreams...
sure all the people who could have a job on this development will love your "BITTER" attitude...grow up you sad little man
I love United but this is simply an attempt to get more money ...he is creating a headache for city and hopes they will make a bigger offer thats it, let them buy iy and turn the eyesore into something better, after years at main road they deserve it. I hope city get bigger and bigger as a win against them will be all the more sweeter.
Nothing to do with United and of no interest in my opinion to United fans this is an attempt by a greedy landowner to make more money thats all...If its not then sign it over to FC United as a training ground let them have it ??? no didnt think so, greed behind this nothing more.
surely every one can see this is childish - i dont think £1mil is an unreasonable offer - this is just a case of red against blue.
this is nothing to do with what is good for manchester, what is good financially - even by his own admission city will aquire the land.
if he thought he was being undervalued and wanted further discussions fair enough but to do it for revenge on the 6-1 result and because its now red vs blue is pathetic.
surely even united fans can see that!
never mind economic benefits for area at large just think of personal gain
He's been offered a good sum of money for the land, in excess of what he would get on the open market. Who cares which club is bankrolling the regeneration. The fact that City's owners are willing to invest millions into an area of East Manchester that has been failed by successive governments and local councils is surely a good thing. This rather pointless little man is standing in the way of good progress for nothing more than being vindictive.
One assumes that Mr O'Brien would be happy if the area remained run-down and had no investment at all, consigning yet another generation of local people to having no employment chances?
its not about football its money