Breaking News: Playing field to become parking lot for Albion fans

[Robot Chicken]

Fantastic news or what!

Playing field to become parking lot for Albion fans
By Andy Chiles

The Government has granted permission for a school's playing fields to be sold paving the way for part of the land to be used for a giant football stadium car park.

Brighton and Hove Albion fans will be able to make use of 1,000 parking bays at Falmer High School, off Lewes Road, in Brighton, if plans for both a new city academy and the proposed Falmer community stadium go ahead.

Brighton and Hove City Council has proposed to build the car park as one way of clawing back more than £4 million it would have to invest in the creation of the new academy.

It is also considering options for parts of the school site which would not be needed by the academy, including offices or student accommodation for the neighbouring Brighton and Sussex universities.

A report reviewed by members of the city council's schools' committee this week said car parking could be provided underground or on the roofs of any buildings.

The Green Party, which is fundamentally opposed to city academies, has spoken of its dismay at the latest developments.

City councillor Ben Duncan, the Greens' education spokesman, said: "This looks worryingly like a land grab to me. It looks disturbingly like the administration places the needs of a football club above the needs of the city's children."

The £24.5 million scheme will be funded by the Government with a contribution from multimillionaire banker John Aisbitt, an Albion season ticket holder from Haywards Heath. It is expected to open in September 2010, and replace Falmer High, but must still go through several planning stages.

In exchange for the investment the council had to find a site for the academy and decided the more than 100,000 sq m of land at Falmer High would be the best position.

Ownership of the land will be transferred to the corporation, set up by the sponsor, which will run the academy.

But the new school will not occupy the entire site. The council will be left with an area currently occupied by some of the school buildings which has been valued at £3.75 million.

It plans to use this money to offset the £2.5 million cost of relocating the Swan and Bridge community centres housed at Falmer High and £2.7 million needed to widen a tunnel under the railway on the school access road to the Lewes Road.

The Department of Education and Skills (DfES) has agreed to pay £900,000 towards this work but the council would still have to find £550,000 on top of the land sale.

In the report council officers also expressed concerns that the academy might not be built within budget and the council would be left to pick up the shortfall.

Councillor Vanessa Brown, chairwoman of the schools' committee, said: "We are supportive of the academy, I believe it would be a good boost for that area of the city but we would like to ensure the financial case is sound before we fully commit to it."

The next stage for the academy is for an outline business case to be prepared. The council's policy and resources committee will decide whether to move ahead to this stage at a meeting on Thursday, June 28.

Communities and local government secretary Ruth Kelly has announced she will decide whether the Falmer Stadium can go ahead before Monday, July 9.

8:37am today

http://www.theargus.co.uk/display.v...eld_to_become_parking_lot_for_albion_fans.php

 

[Everest]

Could that be the run up to "YES"?

 

[Robot Chicken]

Could that be the run up to "YES"?

I don't think they would have passed planning permission for this if Falmer was a "NO", do you??

 

[REDLAND]

""The Government has granted permission for a school's playing fields to be sold paving""


I'm sorry but that's surely wrong or a wind up

 

[Trigger]

Think of the children...

 

[supaseagull]

its at Falmer school and the playing fields where the car park is being built are never used and cost the school thousands of pounds each year to maintain so by them selling off some of the fields, it reduces their outgoings, which for Falmer is paramount.

I can only think of this as good news and I think that it will remove the need to place the car park in LDC land and therefore means that LDC won't have a case against Falmer as it does not fall into their jurisdiction...I hope this is right anyway!

 

[Gwylan]

I'm sorry but I don't think this is good news.

I'm all for Falmer but see no reason to increase car parking space and certainly see no reason to sell off school playing fields.

Hope this is a wind-up cos it's a terrible idea.

 

[¤DãŃn¥ §êãGüLL¤]

Sounds good to me

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

""The Government has granted permission for a school's playing fields to be sold paving""


I'm sorry but that's surely wrong or a wind up

Selling playing fields isn't awlays a bad thing. There are many examples across the country where schools have sold off playing fields (which they didn't use) which has given them money to build other sports facilities and has resulted in more sporting activity.

 

[bailey]

The Green Party, which is fundamentally opposed to city academies, has spoken of its dismay at the latest developments.

City councillor Ben Duncan, the Greens' education spokesman, said: "This looks worryingly like a land grab to me. It looks disturbingly like the administration places the needs of a football club above the needs of the city's children."

Cheap sound bite. Completely overlooks the great work the club does with schools and in building up a youth team.

I've got a good feeling about the Falmer decision. The Government already made it's decision but cocked up on the wording. If it changes its mind now it'll be a u-turn and seized on as a victory by the Lib Dems. That ain't gonna happen.

 

[Caveman]

Sounds good to me

Same here.

 

[Caveman]

Re: Re: Breaking News: Playing field to become parking lot for Albion fans

Cheap sound bite. Completely overlooks the great work the club does with schools and in building up a youth team.

I've got a good feeling about the Falmer decision. The Government already made it's decision but cocked up on the wording. If it changes its mind now it'll be a u-turn and seized on as a victory by the Lib Dems. That ain't gonna happen.

I hope you are right Bailey, I really do. I can see the sense in your comments too. Things is you can never tell with these politians though.

:fingers & toes crossed:

 

[Seagullible]

sounds good

 

[Rangdo]

Grass is over-rated anyway. The future is grey. The furure is tarmac

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

 

[NMH]

I'm sorry but I don't think this is good news.

I'm all for Falmer but see no reason to increase car parking space and certainly see no reason to sell off school playing fields.

Hope this is a wind-up cos it's a terrible idea.

Huh? Brighton is already totally stuffed, when it comes to parking. An expanded sports stadium outside the city centre, would be best served by accomodating any influx of motorists BEFORE they get into the city.

There are lots of potential children's parks and playing areas, many are still empty much of the time (one area I'm thinking about in the corner just west of the London Rd and North of the A27.... 'Waterhall'? Several acres empty, with goalposts permanent fixtures).

Perhaps this parking area might also accomodate visitors for longer than the actual time of the match, so that if they want to go into the city while visiting, they can leave their car at the stadium car-park and bus in, paying a normal metred fee for their vehicle to remain there (hence more income for the city, more for Falmer Stadium Parking and the club, and LESS TRAFFIC in the city centre).

 

[Curious Orange]

its at Falmer school and the playing fields where the car park is being built are never used and cost the school thousands of pounds each year to maintain so by them selling off some of the fields, it reduces their outgoings, which for Falmer is paramount.

I can only think of this as good news and I think that it will remove the need to place the car park in LDC land and therefore means that LDC won't have a case against Falmer as it does not fall into their jurisdiction...I hope this is right anyway!

Er, no, the car park at Falmer High School was always part of the Stadium plans. The Coach Park at the Stadium itself is still needed - and still in Lewes District.

 

[sully]

If the stadium is turned down, does that totally screw the business plan for the academy?

What would be the purpose of a 1000 space car park without a stadium?

 

[Gwylan]

There are lots of potential children's parks and playing areas, many are still empty much of the time (one area I'm thinking about in the corner just west of the London Rd and North of the A27.... 'Waterhall'? Several acres empty, with goalposts permanent fixtures).

Yeah, that's right, kids who want to play football in their lunch break are reallygoing to trek across town to go to Waterhall.

There was a report out earlier this week that pointed out that parents were reluctant to let their kids do what they did and I see this as more example of the same attitude.

Most of us on here played football when we were kids and I see no reason why we should prevent our own from doing it.

I hadn't realised that the car park was always part of the Falmer plans though (thanks for that Curious Orange). I still don't think it's a great idea to grab school fields.

 

[Robot Chicken]

If the stadium is turned down, does that totally screw the business plan for the academy?

What would be the purpose of a 1000 space car park without a stadium?

You have a point there. One wonders if this is a precursor to a yes vote for the stadium. After all, this planning permission was given by the government, too.