What if none of the Falmer site lay in LDC land? Would the Albion's problems go away?

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Been thinking about Falmer. Probably WAY too simplisticly. But seems to me that the only reason LDC are able to grab the Albion by the balls and squeeze the life out of the club is because part of some shitty coach dropping-off point lies within their rotten borough.

So…

What if it didn’t?

What if the coach dropping-off point could be relocated to a corner of the site that falls within B&H Council’s territory? Could the whole site be slid fifty yards to the west? Could the need for a coach dropping-off point be dispensed with altogether by paying the university an unfeasibly large amount of money on match-days to provide coach dropping-off facilities in their spacious grounds? Could the Albion provide taxi vouchers for groups of four Albion fans travelling together to the stadium? etc etc

For sure it would cost money to change the plans at this late stage, and also involve time. But less time and money than yet another inquiry that looks ever-more-likely to be reopened, followed by all the rest of the LDC appeal bullshit. Plus we’d surely get a sympathetic B&H council hearing, we’d still get Falmer, and LDC could go

I’m sure there are many flaws to my thinking, but would somebody care to tell me why it couldn’t be done? I mean, it’s a coach dropping-off point we’re talking here. Ain’t rocket science.

Well?

 

[cannedheat]

Because the stadium will be within so many metres of LDC boundry they have the right to cause all this trouble, coach park or no coach park. wankers.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Because the stadium will be within so many metres of LDC boundry they have the right to cause all this trouble, coach park or no coach park. wankers.

Isn't the trouble that part of the site is actually INSIDE LDC's boundary, rather than just 'within so many metres of LDC boundary'? Least that's what I thought. Pretty sure of it actually. Else I've made a complete KNOB of meself starting this thread

 

[Techno]

Surely if we changed it now we'd have to get new planning permission for it? as it would be different to the old plan. which would open it up for more public enquires etc?

yes or no?

 

[Bry Nylon]

Else I've made a complete KNOB of meself starting this thread

I think you're being a bit harsh on yourself there, Tom. You've made a complete knob of yourself plenty of times before

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I think you're being a bit harsh on yourself there, Tom. You've made a complete knob of yourself plenty of times before

Good point, well made

 

[ac gull]

the original planning application was all outside of LDC land, with the coach park in a different place, however after a game of brinkmanship with the University's we were forced to move it onto LDC land

above is what the three month adjournment in the original public enquiry was for - University's would only sign agreement to sell us the land if we moved the coach park - as they wanted a wider access road to the stadium - which could only be accommodated in the plans by moving the coach park onto LDD land

we then revised the plans and signed the agreement with the University's, we had to do this as a condition of the public enquiry continuing, if we hadn't agreed to this, the planning application would have been deemed to have been withdrawn

thus we did our best to avoid using LDC land etc

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

the original planning application was all outside of LDC land, with the coach park in a different place, however after a game of brinkmanship with the University's we were forced to move it onto LDC land

above is what the three month adjournment in the original public enquiry was for - University's would only sign agreement to sell us the land if we moved the coach park - as they wanted a wider access road to the stadium - which could only be accommodated in the plans by moving the coach park onto LDD land

we then revised the plans and signed the agreement with the University's, we had to do this as a condition of the public enquiry continuing, if we hadn't agreed to this, the planning application would have been deemed to have been withdrawn

thus we did our best to avoid using LDC land etc

Cheers for that. Must have missed that bit in the ongoing saga. Maybe the club should go back to the uni and offer them copious amounts of money to reconsider. Seriously. The Uni are almost certainly cash-strapped, and are going to be massively more open to negotiation than the masonic enclave that is LDC.

 

[London Irish]

I’m sure there are many flaws to my thinking, but would somebody care to tell me why it couldn’t be done? I mean, it’s a coach dropping-off point we’re talking here. Ain’t rocket science.

Well?

It's not really that which is the problem though, is it? It's the AONB classification of the site combined with the well-orchestrated NIMBY campaign. Wouldn't make a jot of difference to Lewes/Falmer PC if the tiny bit of the coach site was removed from their district and it wouldn't change the planning issues at stake either.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Re: Re: What if none of the Falmer site lay in LDC land? Would the Albion's problems go away?

It's not really that which is the problem though, is it? It's the AONB classification of the site combined with the well-orchestrated NIMBY campaign. Wouldn't make a jot of difference to Lewes/Falmer PC if the tiny bit of the coach site was removed from their district and it wouldn't change the planning issues at stake either.

But I guess what THPP is saying is that if none of the Stadium development was in LDC land they wouldn't have the 'right' to appeal etc?

Dunno, but we can't change it now anyway.......

 

[The Large One]

Re: Re: Re: What if none of the Falmer site lay in LDC land? Would the Albion's problems go away?

But I guess what THPP is saying is that if none of the Stadium development was in LDC land they wouldn't have the 'right' to appeal etc?

Dunno, but we can't change it now anyway.......

Possibly, but I would say this.

First, one of LDC's 16 points of objection concerns Stanmer Park even though Stanmer Park does NOT concern Lewes District Council - it is not within their boundary.

Secondly, Lewes District Council's transport consultant is endeavouring to come up with a solution to getting to Sheepcote Valley using a sustainable transport method - again well outside Lewes District Council's remit.

My point is, Lewes District Council, despite making public declarations that they should never comment on another planning authority's policies and decisions, seem quite happy to tell everyone how their planning policies should be put in to practice - even to the point of making an entire transport decision on a site over TWO MILES outside their boundary. And this from a council that employs seriously f***ed up idiots as transport consultants.

 

[London Irish]

Re: Re: Re: What if none of the Falmer site lay in LDC land? Would the Albion's problems go away?

But I guess what THPP is saying is that if none of the Stadium development was in LDC land they wouldn't have the 'right' to appeal etc?

Dunno, but we can't change it now anyway.......

Not 100% sure, but I think anyone can object.

One thing I didn't think of earlier was the issue of the draft national park boundaries which do impinge on the coach site - maybe that issue would be taken off the table? But we're talking about just one of Lewes' many different points and I still don't think it would have altered their course one iota.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

But how many of Lewes' many different points would count for anything at all if none of the site was inside their boundary?

I just think that if the thing has to go back to the inquiry stage, which it looks very likely to do, then removing LDC from the equation as much as is possible would shorten the next stage of the process by several years. And if that meant moving the coach park, or doing a deal with the Uni to use their land for coach parking on match days or providing each Albion fan with a personal jet-pack and bat-detector, and then submitting an AMENDMENT to the original planning application then it would be well worth doing. IMHO like.

 

[The Clown of Pevensey Bay]

There was a PUBLIC inquiry. Lewes DC, just like you and me, are entitled to be parties to that inquiry. They could be party to an inquiry about windfarms in Orkney if they wanted. I don't think the site of the car park makes a scrap of difference.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Wherever the bus stops are located in relation to the stadium, it would be necessary to widen Village Way and do something about the junction with the road to Woodingdean.

That work would be in Lewes District and LDC would have a legitimate interest in it as the local planning authority.

It's not their right to be involved that I object to. It's the stance that they are taking. And the money that they are spending.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

They could be party to an inquiry about windfarms in Orkney if they wanted.

Oh, don't worry. They most probably will.

 

[ROSM]

there are four separate planning applications:

stadium

coach and bus stops

road in lewes dc

road in brighton

as you will see two of them fall within LDC area - even if the coach stops were elsewhere, they would still have one of them.

However, they continue to object to the other two as 'neighbours' and therefore would object whether we were using land in ldc or not.

Just to point out that the land for the coach stops, despuite being in LDC is owned by Brighton and Hove city council.