Mr Collyer really doesn't seem to like us!

[The Great Cornholio]

Reading his report makes depressing reading. This line stands out :-

Every season clubs are relegated out of the FL, but it continues to operate and prosper. If, for whatever reason, BHFC were to be lost to the League there is simply no convincing evidence that football nationally would suffer any serious harm.

I also get the feeling he lives in a small village as he is scathing about the imapct on the AONB.

 

[The Great Cornholio]

Ouch!

18.46 The second significant weakness in the Applicants’ argument is that while they assert in effect that BHFC’s very existence depends on the development of a new stadium at Falmer, there is little in the way of tangible evidence to support this point. The Club sold its former home, the Goldstone Ground, in 1995 and stopped playing there 2 years later; it then played for 2 seasons at Gillingham, sharing their ground, before moving into its present stadium at Withdean. Thus it has now survived into its 7th season away from its last permanent home, during which time it appears to have enjoyed a noticeable measure of success in terms of managing its finances. It is also worthy of note that in the past 20 years just 2 FL clubs have gone out of business which suggests to me that clubs at this level have, as LDC and FPC put it, a remarkable ability to survive. Indeed elsewhere in the evidence of the Club’s Chief Executive he concludes that if BHFC continued with a limited capacity stadium then in all likelihood it would at best “yo-yo” between the lower divisions of the FL. In any event, I am not convinced that Falmer is the only available option; my examination of the matter of alternative sites leads me to conclude that there are other locations which are potentially suitable for a new stadium

 

[The Great Cornholio]

I like the sound of this even less.

18.48 In examining the foregoing matters, I have been mindful that the application formally describes the development as a community stadium and there are arguments raised, primarily by the Applicants and BHCC, centred on the national need which arises from community-related considerations. Essentially however, those particular arguments are concerned with the needs of the local community in economic and social terms and the way in which supporters of this scheme say those needs would be addressed. I have dealt with those arguments in the preceding section of this report. On the basis of my conclusions there, I take the view that at best there is a local need for the community facilities which the proposed stadium would provide; it certainly does not amount to a matter of national interest. But, significantly, it is plain that the primary purpose of this proposal is to provide a football stadium for BHFC as the Applicants freely admit. And on that score this scheme fundamentally fails the “need” test based on national considerations which PPG7 now establishes.

 

[m20gull]

It's all very odd.

He is emphatic about the alternative sites being unacceptable. "It is significant that no site has been suggested by any other party at the inquiry which has not been considered as part of the Applicants’ assessment of alternatives. As a result, it is a fact that the evidence available includes the consideration of every alternative site which has been identified at any time as possible location for the stadium. Where such an exhaustive consideration has taken place the First Secretary of State will, no doubt, be particularly reluctant to accept the proposition that the need could be met elsewhere"

He is emphatic about denying development because of the AONB status. "Also, the present proposals conflict with national and local policy guidance on AONBs and with policies concerned with protecting the open gap between Falmer and urban Brighton and controlling development affecting the setting of the Conservation Area. These considerations, to my mind, are overwhelming."

And now we are here saying "Public enquiry open again to review alternative sites."

 

[m20gull]

Oops - I have taken some of that out of context. I really should stop trying to speed read all of it while I am supposed to be working!

 

[Turkey]

I like the sound of this even less.

18.48 In examining the foregoing matters, I have been mindful that the application formally describes the development as a community stadium and there are arguments raised, primarily by the Applicants and BHCC, centred on the national need which arises from community-related considerations. Essentially however, those particular arguments are concerned with the needs of the local community in economic and social terms and the way in which supporters of this scheme say those needs would be addressed. I have dealt with those arguments in the preceding section of this report. On the basis of my conclusions there, I take the view that at best there is a local need for the community facilities which the proposed stadium would provide; it certainly does not amount to a matter of national interest. But, significantly, it is plain that the primary purpose of this proposal is to provide a football stadium for BHFC as the Applicants freely admit. And on that score this scheme fundamentally fails the “need” test based on national considerations which PPG7 now establishes.

Hang on a second. Wasnt this:

"4.7 However, Policy EN5 provides for exceptions to EN3 and EN4 in that where justified by proven national interest and a lack of alternative sites, major commercial development (among others specified) may be acceptable within AONBs but even then only where it is demonstrated that the loss of environmental resource has been kept to a minimum and that it meets certain criteria in Policy EN2"

meant to prove that he thought it was of national intrest?

 

[Highfields Seagull]

Collyer obviously has some sort of split personality:

In any event, I am not convinced that Falmer is the only available option; my examination of the matter of alternative sites leads me to conclude that there are other locations which are potentially suitable for a new stadium

"It is significant that no site has been suggested by any other party at the inquiry which has not been considered as part of the Applicants’ assessment of alternatives. As a result, it is a fact that the evidence available includes the consideration of every alternative site which has been identified at any time as possible location for the stadium. Where such an exhaustive consideration has taken place the First Secretary of State will, no doubt, be particularly reluctant to accept the proposition that the need could be met elsewhere"

 

[Superseagull]

Collyer seems to be obsessed with buses. Every site he goes on about being served by an existing bus route. Like we are all going to be able to get the bus to sheepcote valley! And he seems to think sheepcote valley is served well by the A259 - is this guy for real? The A259 is a nightmare around Kemptown. And he suggests we could always walk from Brighton station. We would be the fittest supporters in the league!

 

[The Great Cornholio]

I can't read any more - it's too depressing. He seems to counter every claim we have made. From the number of jobs to be created to the height of the stadium to the number of cars to the amount of noise etc. etc. etc.

I'm am now much happier about Prezzer's decision as it should have been a big fat No based on this report.

 

[m20gull]

Yes my mistake "It is significant that no site has been suggested by any other party at the inquiry which has not been considered as part of the Applicants’ assessment of alternatives. As a result, it is a fact that the evidence available includes the consideration of every alternative site which has been identified at any time as possible location for the stadium. Where such an exhaustive consideration has taken place the First Secretary of State will, no doubt, be particularly reluctant to accept the proposition that the need could be met elsewhere" is from the clubs's own submission not from Collyer.

 

[Seagull73]

Yes I must admit I have read through some of his findings very briefly, and he really doesn't come down on our side at all.

I'm glad the ODPM doesn't seem to be taking the same view as us. However, I have to admit to being more than a little concerned at having read his report that Prescott is playing political football, and once the Conference is out the way down here, he will reject it.

I'm going to get slated for saying that because of what he has already said he agrees with, but that means nothing given that he has not yet said yes!

 

[y2dave]

He reckons Sheepcote is an option as fans won't mind walking between 6km and 8km from Brighton station!

 

[Storer68]

But thats the very crux of the problem

Both reports are fundamentally flawed in their analysis and contradict themselves over the availability and suitablity of alternative sites and Prescott has recognised this - first by inviting more evidence from applicants and now by re-opening the enquiry to examine the alternative sites issue again.

 

[Brovion]

That is VERY depressing. Reading that it is a major miracle that we got the result we got today. There have been TWO reports, both have come out unequivocably against us - and yet Prescott says we've proved the case for Falmer!

I'm very grateful, but I don't quite understand.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Collyer seems to be obsessed with buses. Every site he goes on about being served by an existing bus route. Like we are all going to be able to get the bus to sheepcote valley! And he seems to think sheepcote valley is served well by the A259 - is this guy for real? The A259 is a nightmare around Kemptown. And he suggests we could always walk from Brighton station. We would be the fittest supporters in the league!

If I can be allowed to criticise the Club for a moment - one of the most depressing days at the Inquiry was the day that the Albion's transport witness was being questioned about whether or not the Sheepcote Valley site was "in the A259 corridor". For reasons that remain a mystery to me, he agreed that it was and that the A259 corridor was reasonably well served by buses.

At the time, I was sitting next to a senior transport planner employed by the City Council and his recently departed manager, another transport planner. We all shook our heads and wondered how come it was that transport consultants were able to earn such high fees without having the detailed local knowledge that is the stock in trade of local government officers.

I guess it was this performance by the Club's witness that has kept open the idea that a stadium at Sheepcote Valley might be acceptable in transport terms.

Believe me, it isn't.

 

[Notters]

Where does he actually say about walking from Brighton station? That's a hell of a hill to get up.

 

[m20gull]

18.76 In that regard, the absence of any nearby railway station and the distance from Brighton Station do not appear to have deterred BHCC from encouraging the development of this location. I accept that those factors are a disadvantage in terms of the suitability of Sheepcote Valley as a stadium location; but not such a disadvantage as the Applicants maintain. In much the same way that train travellers to Falmer would have to change services at Brighton Station, rail users could switch at that terminus to buses. In my experience in such circumstances developers sometimes provide dedicated shuttle buses to augment normal services. And there is evidence that football supporters are not entirely reluctant to walk anything up to between 6km and 8km to matches; according to my calculations Sheepcote Valley is comfortably within that range from Brighton Station

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Where does he actually say about walking from Brighton station? That's a hell of a hill to get up.

para 18.76:-
"And there is evidence that football supporters are not entirely reluctant to walk anything up to between 6km and 8km to matches; according to my calculations Sheepcote Valley is comfortably within that range from Brighton Station".

Evidence? I must have missed that bit of the Inquiry.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Tell you what? For next season, let's park at the King Alfred and walk to Withdean.

Apparently we will be "not entirely reluctant" to do that.

Or you could go for the full 8km. Park at Southwick Green.

 

[Lady Bracknell]

f*** off Bracknell. You walk, I'll have the piggy-back.