What impact has there been on Falmer Village?

[Lady Whistledown]

I've never been in Falmer village when a game has been on, so I've no idea what the noise impact might be. You'd think the design of the stadium, as well as its dug out position, plus a couple of rows of trees, would have some effect I guess. Other than that, the only impact I can think of would be the time it takes to get back into your house there on a home Saturday afternoon.

 

[Lincoln Imp]

There is always a temptation for protest groups to overegg their position but the Falmer villagers, aided by the Brighton-loathing great and good of Lewes district and cheered on by some journalists and others who saw a cracking David & Goliath story, succumbed more than most. Some organisations (ie CPRE) and some people (ie Baker and the frankly nasty Lewes LibDem establishment) made absolute pratts of themselves, damaging their own credibility and, more seriously, creating delays that cost the club millions. I hope they have the good grace to feel a bit silly.

 

[Vegas Seagull]

A work colleague is a Woodingdean resident, who hates it, purely for traffic snarl up reasons.

His poor judgement for choosing a crossroads junction dull granny suburb in the first place

 

[Eeyore]

At some stage in the Albion's campaign for Falmer (I think off the top of my head it was part of the public enquiry phase), one of the NIMBY spokesman declared that the building of a football stadium in the location would lead to an increase in bat-vehicle collisions.

That's cars hitting bats, not RTCs involving the Batmobile, to be clear.

So far, I've yet so see any evidence of bat-carnage around the Amex, so their fears appear to be- would you believe it?- unfounded.

The Batmobile had its window smashed in Gotham City directly as a result of the AMEX, mind. Ulloa's penalty landed a direct hit.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Thriving local pub doing fantastic match day trade - check
Local land owners making a bob or two on private parking - check
Farm store doing extra trade on match days - check
Village pond and general village scene peaceful as always on a match day - check
Slight traffic problems on match days, but nothing too inconvenient - check

 

[Lady Whistledown]

The hotel and potg tickets were both not meant to happen originally, right? I wonder what they think of that.

Technically, it's not classed as POTG, as you have to go to the ticket office and buy one before making your way to the entrance.

Good, isn't it?

 

[chaileyjem]

I'm fairly sure that Tom Hark Preston Park's hilarious anecdote of that day's hearing, is in Nsc Gold.

Bats & Badgers

If there was ever a session that summed up the essential ENGLISHNESS of the Public Enquiry then this was it. As a spectacle, it was just perfect, a microcosm of everything quirky, eccentric and, yup, Pythonesque about the national character. Men in suits and ladies in cardies formally and politely discussing and minuting the mating habits of the common pipistrell, while Albion fans in assorted shapes, stripes and sizes sat bemused in the public gallery wondering what parallel universe they'd suddenly been teleported to. You HAD to be there.

First, the badger. There aren't any sets other than in the railway cuttings. So no impact there. Unless they get hit by a train of course...

Bats were more of a contentious issue. Three seperate surveys were carried out, two months apart. The NIMBYs defence bloke in the bad mullet took issue with the first survey which took place one evening in (I think) March and started 'at dusk' and ended at half-ten due to bad weather.
Bad Mullet asked what time 'dusk' was. Ecology Bloke said it was a standard term. Bad Mullet said yes, but what time. Ecology Bloke didn't know. They left it at that.

And then came the giggles, spreading like a Mexican wave through the public gallery. The question was asked, how are the bat investigations carried out? To which the answer is by visible inspection and by using a 'bat detector'. Oo-er, there was a lot of people in trouble at this point cos shoulders were shaking in unison, faces were going purple, your humble reporter was in tears. As he was when the phrase 'bat vehicle collision' burbled up at some point during a discussion on the implications of parking on the bat population. Some impact there, eh...

On the flora and fauna issue (is plants flora?) a well-fed bloke from the League Of Sussex Woodland Folk or whatever drew himself up to his full weight and asked what the implications would be of the proposal to plant three layers of ecologically-sound woodland plants and trees to replace the existing area which would be disturbed by the building. To which the bemused Ecology Bloke replied with words to the effect that there's nothing there at the moment worthy of the term woodland, it's being used as an unofficial car-park and whatever the proposal, er, proposes, it can only be of ecological benefit to the area. That shut him up quick.

Have to say I would have found the whole episode quite charming in a bumbling, parish-council kind of way, were it not for the fact that the club is being bled dry by the expenses involved in this theatre of the absurd. Superb entertainment mind...

via https://nortr3nixy.nimpr.uk/showthread.php?10640-Tom-Hark-s-Falmer-Reports

 

[skipper734]

I think they are raking it in, charging for parking on match days. Certain cure for NIMBYISM. Also M. Perry reported that on speaking to them to get their views on the building of an Hotel, they hoped it wouldn't spoil their view of the Stadium.

 

[chaileyjem]

I think they are raking it in, charging for parking on match days. Certain cure for NIMBYISM. Also M. Perry reported that on speaking to them to get their views on the building of an Hotel, they hoped it wouldn't spoil their view of the Stadium.

What exactly is the latest with the hotel ? Anyone know ?

 

[Bry Nylon]

What exactly is the latest with the hotel ? Anyone know ?

We're Premier Inn ready

 

[backson]

His poor judgement for choosing a crossroads junction dull granny suburb in the first place

I get what you mean, but he has lived there all his life

 

[Hampster Gull]

Good question

 

[desprateseagull]

When does the bat/ vehicle collision data get published, does anybody know?

One bat-like fatality, sadly.. RIP Yvonne Craig. http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/yvonne-craig-dead-batgirl-batman-dies-1201573165/

 

[Seasidesage]

Am I wrong to say I couldn't care less what they thought of it?

It wasn't and never was in their 'Village' and they 'suffer' far more disruption every day from the Universities and the unintended results of road traffic in Brighton than anything on match days.

 

[Weretheweststand]

What exactly is the latest with the hotel ? Anyone know ?

I spoke to Martin Perry after the fans forum, and he said that the latest planning application had gone in that day, and that if it all goes through, if i remember correctly, they should be commencing building works summer next year (or it may have been this november, it's one or the other, my mind's gone blank.)

 

[Lord Bracknell]

I've SEEN the bats that live in Falmer. They are all next to the old barn at the far end of the village, nowhere near the stadium. And they still seem to be enjoying life, undisturbed by footballers, fans or vehicles.

 

[portslade seagull]

I think they are raking it in, charging for parking on match days. Certain cure for NIMBYISM. Also M. Perry reported that on speaking to them to get their views on the building of an Hotel, they hoped it wouldn't spoil their view of the Stadium.

well lets face it the stadium is much more handsome that the carbuncle across the road commonly known as sussex university which causes more grief everyday with traffic

 

[portslade seagull]

I've SEEN the bats that live in Falmer. They are all next to the old barn at the far end of the village, nowhere near the stadium. And they still seem to be enjoying life, undisturbed by footballers, fans or vehicles.

And there was me thinking you were commenting on the local WI

 

[Lord Bracknell]

well lets face it the stadium is much more handsome that the carbuncle across the road commonly known as sussex university which causes more grief everyday with traffic

Carbuncle? It's an award winning campus, especially the early buildings designed by the great Basil Spence (architect of Coventry Cathedral). Winner of a Civic Trust award and medals of the Royal Institute of British Architects. A couple of Grade One listed buildings, too. The only 20th century Grade One listed buildings in Brighton.

 

[portslade seagull]

Carbuncle? It's an award winning campus, especially the early buildings designed by the great Basil Spence (architect of Coventry Cathedral). Winner of a Civic Trust award and medals of the Royal Institute of British Architects. A couple of Grade One listed buildings, too.

Its a real hotchpot of buildings with continuous add-ons