New Falmer Inspector

[mona]

Does not sound good news as he believes that the Lewes LibDems and the Falmer Nimbys are keen to get matters resolved. They are desperate to delay the Inquiry as much as possible of course. He has allowed the possible sites to be added to when it opens in Feb.
I wonder how long these time wasters will spend studying the Station site.
His name is Briers which makes me think of Felicity Kendal and the Good Life. Is this a bad omen?

 

[CHAPPERS]

I fancy Felicity Kendall.

 

[Rangdo]

He has allowed the possible sites to be added to when it opens in Feb.

Where did this news come from? I thought he originally said he wanted them as early as possible and there wouldn't be any rabbits pulled out of hats. If this is the case how can the club possibly put up their case if they don't get any time to research it. Lord B whats going on here?

 

[London Irish]

Re: Re: New Falmer Inspector

Where did this news come from? I thought he originally said he wanted them as early as possible and there wouldn't be any rabbits pulled out of hats. If this is the case how can the club possibly put up their case if they don't get any time to research it. Lord B whats going on here?

There was a huge amount of stuff about the reconvened inquiry in the Supporters Club mailings today. Worth subcribing to even if you hate coach travel and bobble hats.

There were two possible explanations put forward by our seasoned inquiry observers for the behaviour of Mr Briers.

1) Yes, he's genuinely naive and can't spot transparent delaying tactics by Lewes, or;

2) He's being ultra-careful not to take any possible short-cuts that give grounds for judicial review to said NIMBY twats.

We should perhaps reserve judgment and see how the inquiry progresses before making up our minds what kind of game Mr Briers is playing.

 

[The Large One]

Don't forget - he cold still say that somewhere else is suitable and Prescott ignore him.

For instance, the previous inspector found it acceptable to be able to walk from Brighton Station to Sheepcote Valley. Everyone else knew that this was totally unacceptable. The Albion will have a very good case - fear not.

 

[Rangdo]

Re: Re: Re: New Falmer Inspector

There was a huge amount of stuff about the reconvened inquiry in the Supporters Club mailings today. Worth subcribing to even if you hate coach travel and bobble hats.

There were two possible explanations put forward by our seasoned inquiry observers for the behaviour of Mr Briers.

1) Yes, he's genuinely naive and can't spot transparent delaying tactics by Lewes, or;

2) He's being ultra-careful not to take any possible short-cuts that give grounds for judicial review to said NIMBY twats.

We should perhaps reserve judgment and see how the inquiry progresses before making up our minds what kind of game Mr Briers is playing.

Ok, but thats hardly fair if the club is spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on investigating the alternatives that the nimby f***-weasels will be allowed to suddenly spring an alternative at the inquiry thereby denying the club the chance to research it and wasting all that money looking at one set of sites whilst they are plotting another.

 

[The Large One]

Re: Re: Re: Re: New Falmer Inspector

Ok, but thats hardly fair if the club is spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on investigating the alternatives that the nimby f***-weasels will be allowed to suddenly spring an alternative at the inquiry thereby denying the club the chance to research it and wasting all that money looking at one set of sites whilst they are plotting another.

They won't be allowed to suggest somewhere else without presenting a credible case for that site first. They can't just so "oh, um, Preston Park...'

 

[Rangdo]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: New Falmer Inspector

They won't be allowed to suggest somewhere else without presenting a credible case for that site first. They can't just so "oh, um, Preston Park...'

But what was implied in the first post is that they will be able to bring in credible alternatives after the inquiry has started without giving the club time to investigate themselves. Is that true?

 

[The Large One]

All parties have to submit the sites that they think more suitable than Falmer by December 7. Then everyone has six weeks to privately pick holes in all the other arguments.

The Inquiry is the time to pick holes in the arguments publicly. The inspector (I'm paraphrasing) will not be happy if new sites are suggested by NIMBYs. This is a tactic that Falmer Parish Council were hoping to use as they only reluctantly agreed to keep to this December 7 deadline. What was clear from Lord Bracknell's report of the pre-inquiry meeting was the Falmer Parish Council wanted to piss about.

This even upset Lewes District Council, who, if this happens, would have to spend more time and more money on a barrister. But then, so would everybody else. It is down to the inspector to see that spurious sites are not brought up. I would appear that he is not discouraging people from suggesting new sites - but he is not keen to encourage it either.

All of any other sites in Brighton & Hove (all of which would be ridiculous - but you tell the NIMBYs that) come under the City Council's planning department. And we all know that the Council is very keen for the Albion to be at Falmer.

 

[Rangdo]

Thanks. Thats made me feel better. It was this:
" He has allowed the possible sites to be added to when it opens in Feb. "
that had me worried but looking at it now I think it's probably the wording of it.
The more I think about it the more logic tells me we'll get it but then we've been shat on so much in recent years it's difficult to be too optimistic without thinking it's too good to be true.

 

[perseus]

Controversial:

There is one site better than Village Way North in Brighton & Hove better.

That is Village Way South and middle. If it was not for the conniving between the political countryside bodies, we could realign the boundary of the AONB/National Park and stash the stadium in the optimum location.

There might be land ownership and other petty political issues and it is not worth the candle to seriously suggest an amendment. But I don't care a shit a shit about their petty squabbles about where exactly it should be. Apart from it should be in the best location.

Somebody posted an aerial piccy. Instead of squashing the stadium in by the road, it ought to be set in the best location embedded in the downs (a lit bit further from the railway station). I think it is legitimate public comment.

At Hove Town Hall, the PR said the options were open. Not after the politicans had mucked about with it.

 

[London Irish]

Thanks. Thats made me feel better. It was this:
" He has allowed the possible sites to be added to when it opens in Feb. "
that had me worried but looking at it now I think it's probably the wording of it.
The more I think about it the more logic tells me we'll get it but then we've been shat on so much in recent years it's difficult to be too optimistic without thinking it's too good to be true.

I don't want to worry you unduly, but the reports by Tim Carder in the supporters club mailing gives a different interpretation on this.

It says that although the inspector David Brier urged all parties to make clear alternative sites outside the "Prescott seven" - specifically he urged Falmer Parish Council to do this - he did not make an order making this compulsory. He requested they did so by October 26 (Falmer eventually made no response by that date, according to the supporters club).

In order not to "prejudice" any party, Brier said proposals CAN be made as late as the inquiry itself on Feb 2nd.

And this is the bit you're not going to like. He said that to allow the Albion and B&H Council time to respond to new suggestions, the inquiry could be adjouned for their rebuttal case to be prepared.

On a positive note, of the other leading anti-s, both Lewes Council and the Sussex Downmen said they were happy to stick to the list of seven sites - so that at least is resolved, it's just what spanners Falmer PC could now lob into the works. If you were Falmer PC, the opportunity now is there for them to suggest other sites and force a further delay.

Although this is frustrating, I think we should get this into perspective.

There are clearly two wings of the anti-Falmer campaign, the smart, professional, monied one run by Lewes, and the bonkers one being run by Falmer PC.

I still think our main threat is the "smart" Lewes one. They will push Sheepcote Valley and maybe Toad's Hole. If they can paint these sites as slightly breaking less of the Prescott criteria than Falmer, then they will have won a huge victory and the Falmer proposal could be wrecked. But that's a big, and probably impossible, if. Nonetheless, there will be a vital and crucial job of work to be done by our planning professionals to undermine their positive picture of these two sites.

Now the bonkers campaign run by Falmer PC, they may try wrecking and delaying tactics like proposing Shoreham airport or Moulsecoomb Wild Park etc, etc, but you just can't see those tactics influencing the inspector who is begging them to be serious. Hopefully our lawyers and advocates will be smart enough to be able to dismiss the stupid sites quickly and with minimal delay. In the end, though, this stuff won't get Falmer PC anywhere, except pissing off the inspector. Will they risk that? Perhaps, they are bonkers enough. But I reckon that's not the main threat we should be worried about - that will be the smart professional planning lawyers that Lewes can buy with the 35 grand they've fleeced off their council tax payers.

 

[Gwylan]

...
Now the bonkers campaign run by Falmer PC, they may try wrecking and delaying tactics like proposing Shoreham airport or Moulsecoomb Wild Park etc, etc, but you just can't see those tactics influencing the inspector who is begging them to be serious. Hopefully our lawyers and advocates will be smart enough to be able to dismiss the stupid sites quickly and with minimal delay. In the end, though, this stuff won't get Falmer PC anywhere, except pissing off the inspector. Will they risk that? ...

I think that's the point: they might be able to make suggestions up until 2 February but will they want to? To make facile suggestions would surely irritate the inspector and Falmer PC must know this; they may be bonkers but they're not stupid.

But even if they did present something off-the-wall would it necessarily delay the inquiry? BHA could surely anticipate any additional sites (like the two you mentioned) and have ready-made rebuttals presented. Sure, there would be a cost involved, but it would be a very minor one, particularly compared to the cost of an additional delay.

 

[Wardy]

I am sure that the club is well aware of this and will be working with their legal teams to come up with objections and reason why any area that might get mentioned is not suitable. There is only so many places within the area set down by the FA, a condition that the ODPM as stated will need to be met by any new site.

The inspector as said yes they can introduce new sites but they cannot just say how about <insert place here> without having a detailed plan as to why it meets the full list of critera set.

It is up to them to find a better site not for us to prove there is not one.

 

[Brovion]

... Now the bonkers campaign run by Falmer PC, they may try wrecking and delaying tactics like proposing Shoreham airport or Moulsecoomb Wild Park etc, etc, but you just can't see those tactics influencing the inspector who is begging them to be serious. ...

You'd think so wouldn't you, but I'm not so sure. At the last Enquiry we kept reading post after post on here saying how our brilliant people were destroying the anti-Falmer arguement, how they were reduced to protesting about 'vehicle-bat collisions' and how the inspector could barely begin to conceal his contempt for their NIMBY-inspired whineging. Then the report came out and for all the good it did us we may as well not have bothered.

Let's face it this bloke will be no different. Forget democracy he will be opposed to Falmer (whatever noises he might make) because he's a Planning Inspector and Falmer flies in the face of Planning regulations. This enquiry is a hoop we have to jump through, and then when he tells us that in his opinion Sheepcote Valley is better we will have to hope Prescott comes to our aid again.

 

[trueblue]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: New Falmer Inspector

They won't be allowed to suggest somewhere else without presenting a credible case for that site first. They can't just so "oh, um, Preston Park...'

Well..... it IS next to a main road.... And it's got its own railway station.....

SSSSSSSHHHHH! Don't tell them.

 

[Rangdo]

This concerns me as a sign that the inspector is on the nimby's side already. Why not just say they have to submit all sites by 'x' date and further submissions will not be accepted after that?

 

[3gulls]

Don't forget - he cold still say that somewhere else is suitable and Prescott ignore him.

For instance, the previous inspector found it acceptable to be able to walk from Brighton Station to Sheepcote Valley. Everyone else knew that this was totally unacceptable. The Albion will have a very good case - fear not.

Isn't it about the same distance to Madj Stad from Reading Station? And, we could build a ground that could be extended when we get to the Premiership. It's good to keep an open mind on these things. The good people of Falmer and Woodingdean would still have a trafic problem though!

 

[Curious Orange]

Controversial:

There is one site better than Village Way North in Brighton & Hove better.

That is Village Way South and middle. If it was not for the conniving between the political countryside bodies, we could realign the boundary of the AONB/National Park and stash the stadium in the optimum location.

Something tells me that Falmer Parish Council WON'T be suggesting that one!

 

[perseus]

I would not rule it out completely.

It is the South Downs lobby that are objecting to Falmer on any grounds they can invent. Their idea is to kybosh the whole scheme.

From the point of view of the reasonable Falmer village resident, it might make more sense to have the stadium set back from the road and being landscaped into the downs, with less visual and noise intrusion, and gives the architect more scope to landscape the magnificent stadium for a better design all round.

The answer should be ready for such an eventuality.

My suspicions would be that such a move would be just another delaying tactic.