Not a Martin Perry fan

[Saint Lennard]

I agree BG, if only we could find two men worth £800million between them with a passion for a nondescript football club on the South coast then I am sure we might be further down the path.

Dick Knight and his cronies has only put in a paltry £7m into the club with no return and this is clearly not enough.

I assume Mr Perry is not a cronie then.

 

[BensGrandad]

I am not suggesting that back handers should be paid but feel that the confidence of knowing that the person/club can afford to complete the project must go a long way.

I expect the next argument to be that we (The club and its directors) cannot afford to build Falmer. Will we then have another inquiry as to the funding of the project causing more delays even though the club will have demonstrated that they can raise the cash to fund the stadium

The 1 example I can give of Tesco and their financial clout is that they were told by Guildford Council they couldn't build a store on one particular site that they wanted as the land was earmarked for a Sports Centre. What did Tesco do? They built The Spectrum for the council on another plot of land and then obtained permission to build their store where they originally wanted. Similar thing happened at Broadbridge Heath.

I believe rightly or wrongly that they would have offered something to Lews DC or Falmer Nimbys to appease the situation thus avoiding the objections and inquiries having already obtained planning permission from Brighton Council.

The club is not in such a strong financial position that they were able to do this and even had to argue over a few classrooms to get the university on our side. With a very wealthy chairman the situation MIGHT have been different.

 

[Titanic]

Yes - and if my Auntie had balls she'd be my uncle! So what ??

 

[BensGrandad]

I agree that nothing is definite but was trying to explain to Large One the reasoning behind my view of having a wealthy chairman.

 

[Titanic]

It's not exactly rocket science to say that if we had a chairman/board with hundreds of millions of pounds to burn, it would be easier to design and build a stadium for the future.

Of course it would.

BUT WE DON'T HAVE THAT SORT OF MONEY - AND NOBODY IS OFFERING IT IN ANY SHAPE OR FORM - SO WE HAVE TO DO THE BEST WE CAN WITH WHAT WE CAN AFFORD!

NOBODY ELSE IS OFFERING TO PUT THAT SORT OF MONEY INTO THE CLUB... or am I wrong ??

 

[London Irish]

The 1 example I can give of Tesco and their financial clout is that they were told by Guildford Council they couldn't build a store on one particular site that they wanted as the land was earmarked for a Sports Centre.

This is a totally useless parallel. Guildford did not object to the land being developed, there was just a dispute about what the development would be. Lewes and Falmer PC object to any development at Village Way south. No wealthy chairman could have overcome that.

 

[Titanic]

This is a totally useless parallel. Guildford did not object to the land being developed, there was just a dispute about what the development would be. Lewes and Falmer PC object to any development at Village Way south. No wealthy chairman could have overcome that.

Although, fairly obviously, if we had a chairman/board with hundreds of millions to burn, they could have bought the Brighton Station site - and build there.

BUT WE DON'T - AND NOBODY IS OFFERING IT IN ANY SHAPE OR FORM - SO WE HAVE TO DO THE BEST WE CAN WITH WHAT WE CAN AFFORD!

Do we, Grandad ??

 

[The Large One]

This is a totally useless parallel. Guildford did not object to the land being developed, there was just a dispute about what the development would be. Lewes and Falmer PC object to any development at Village Way south. No wealthy chairman could have overcome that.

Additionally, there is someone objecting to the development of every site that's available in the Inquiry. I say 'available', because clearly, Brighton Station and Coral's are not.

Just stop and think about the scenario you have outlined there Ben's Grandad, and tell me on which site(s) in Brighton & Hove this would be workable, and how it would be workable. (i.e. the pay-off of one site over another...)

 

[BensGrandad]

My view was that the best site WAS Beeding Cement Works which at the time of Archer and Stanley would have been a viable and affordable proposition but is obviously not so now.

A chairman with money would have continued on that route then rather than go for Falmer. Thus avoiding all the inquiries that we are now having to go through. The end result being that we would probably be playing in a new stadium there by now.

But:

Because of the timescale between then and now Beeding has gone out of the picture and along with the other sites mentioned is no longer a possibility we are therefore left with no alternative to Falmer.

I personally do not care where the Stadium is built, I shall still go wherever, so long as one is built the club say Falmer so Falmer it is.

 

[The Large One]

My view was that the best site WAS Beeding Cement Works which at the time of Archer and Stanley would have been a viable and affordable proposition but is obviously not so now.

A chairman with money would have continued on that route then rather than go for Falmer. Thus avoiding all the inquiries that we are now having to go through. The end result being that we would probably be playing in a new stadium there by now.

But:

Because of the timescale between then and now Beeding has gone out of the picture and along with the other sites mentioned is no longer a possibility we are therefore left with no alternative to Falmer.

I personally do not care where the Stadium is built, I shall still go wherever, so long as one is built the club say Falmer so Falmer it is.

A chairman with money would have wanted to take the club 15km from Brighton? No bastard chairman that I would have wanted anything to do with.

It was only in Barry Lloyd's psychedelic garden that passes for a mind to plant us in Upper bleedin' Beeding. It was then and is now, very far from viable. The problems then are the same problems now. No transport infrastructure, AONB, a fierce determination from the local authority (Horsham DC) and owners to not have anything to do with it, and an extreme reluctance of supporters to travel excessive distance meaning the club losing a sizeable proportion of its fanbase.

Of course, sod the expense.

Other than that, it's a winner. I am amazed Dick Knight isn't quite such a visionary to have spotted the potential.

 

[BensGrandad]

I have always been led to believe and I am sure that I will be corrected if I am wrong but it was Horsham District Council who WANTED us to go there so much so that they were prepared to pay a large portion of the costs.

As far as fans go the vast majority of BHA fans are from west of Brighton so it wouldnt have made any difference there but nonethe less that is all now water under the bridge.

We are going to FALMER.

 

[Easy 10]

My view was that the best site WAS Beeding Cement Works which at the time of Archer and Stanley would have been a viable and affordable proposition but is obviously not so now.

No rail access. Miles from anywhere, so not walkable for anyone.
Meaning a single carriageway road is the only way there for up to 22,500 fans and their cars, and the park & ride buses snarled up in amongst that lot. And no car park site once you get there.

You would need to build a 4 lane dual carriageway north from the A27 to service a stadium at Beeding. Straight through a designated AONB.

And in your view, this was the best site ? Even LDC arn't mad enough to pursue it as an alternative.

 

[The Large One]

As far as fans go the vast majority of BHA fans are from west of Brighton so it wouldnt have made any difference there but nonethe less that is all now water under the bridge.

Vast majority? Even 51% is a complete fib. The biggest chunk of fans are from Brighton. But even then, where they're coming from is one thing. How they get there is something completely different.

The notion of a stadium at Upper Beeding Cement works always was and always will be a joke which you have fallen for.

 

[FG aka FOOTBALL GENIUS]

in other words we have a POTLESS chairman !

 

[Harty]

Large One you are at it again, whilst Falmer is now the only site for the Albion you should remember that Barry Lloyd had done the deal for Beeding Cement Works in 1993 with Pepsi Cola picking up some of the tab along with other funding from the EU and the Football Trust, Archer blocked the deal, one man stood in the Albion's way and we all know why.
Had it gone through I'd imagine the Albion would have been playing there for the last 8 years or so, Archer is at the root of all the club's problems, full stop!

 

[BensGrandad]

Well said Harty as I was at pains to point out at the time it WAS the best site available but NOT NOW.

It is Falmer or bust.

 

[DTES]

Harty, or BG:

Sorry to sound ignorant, I know nothing about the Beeding Cement Works deal, but how was the travel problem going to be overcome?

 

[Marc]

Harty, or BG:

Sorry to sound ignorant, I know nothing about the Beeding Cement Works deal, but how was the travel problem going to be overcome?

I reckon they pinned their hopes on getting the Rail link running again (from Shoreham up to Beeding). The track area is still there but no track (small section are found hidden away). Adur Council want that all to remain as Nature area or something for the new National Park and that was the plan many years ago when they got rid of the rail track completley in areas.

Purely my understanding of course!

 

[DTES]

But even then, still no improvement to the road access? As you say, water under the bridge now, but I'd rather be at Falmer...

 

[perseus]

Large One you are at it again, whilst Falmer is now the only site for the Albion you should remember that Barry Lloyd had done the deal for Beeding Cement Works in 1993 with Pepsi Cola picking up some of the tab along with other funding from the EU and the Football Trust, Archer blocked the deal, one man stood in the Albion's way and we all know why.
Had it gone through I'd imagine the Albion would have been playing there for the last 8 years or so, Archer is at the root of all the club's problems, full stop!

This is crap!

Beeding Cement Works is exactly the same now as it was then. Nothing has changed.

There was not a hope in hell of a stadium there then and there is not a hope now!

There would be a £20 million tab to make the roads OK. Planning Permission was refused recently for a mixed development. There would be another £20 million tab to clear up the site.

And it still breaks the first rule of business, put your product where the customer (fans) can get to it.

It also contravenes just about every single transport planning policy, but mostly common sense.

PS: I expect Archer was thinking about the supermarket when he scuppered the deal.