Falmer - Don't Lose Heart !!!

[South Stand Zealot]

I have just received a reply dated 11 June from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. It reads

Proposed Community Stadium for Brighton & Hove Albion FC

Thank you for your letter of 26 March to the Prime Minister regarding the above matter, which enclosed correspondence to Nicholas Soames MP and the Deputy Prime Minister. As your letter relates to planning applications, it has been forwarded to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for response. I am sorry for the delay in replying to you.

The Inspector's report into the applications is before the First Secretary of State for consideration AND A DECISION HAS YET TO BE MADE. For reasons of procedural propriety, I am unable to discuss the details of the case, but can assure you that any representations received will be taken into account by the First Secretary of State, so far as they are relevant, in making the decision.

A copy of the decision letter, once issued, will be available on our website www.odpm.gov.uk

Yours sincerely

Sharmila Meadows
Case Officer


Now - if Prescott says "YES" has the anti-Falmer Brigade a right of appeal ?

Would that take the form of a Judicial Review ?

In either case how much longer can all this take ?

Anyone know ?

At least as of 11 June, just 2 days ago, it would seem that no decision has yet been made.

Perhaps the huge reaction to Hoile's appalling report on the draft Local Plan and 30,000 Albion supporters at Cardiff has caused a major rethink ? Let us hope so !!

 

[sullyupthewing]

Yes they do have the right to appeal and If it is Judicial it will cost £££££££££££££££££££££ if they lose.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Might as well take it as read that the NIMBYs will be appealing then.

Do the Club have the same right of appeal if it goes the other way?

 

[Wardy]

The deadline date for submissons from people / parties that reported at the origanal inquiry was extended untill the 19th June. SO there will be now decision untill at least then.

Yes they do have a right of appeal but doubt they would take it up, since if the were to lose they would have to pay the clubs cost aswell as there own.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I really can't see how they'll dare announce anything other than a YES decision before the Labour Party Conference in Brighton in September. I mean, large sections of the town would be in open revolt against them & the traditional Labour-sponsored Sunday raceday - assuming it's booked for this year - would be interesting, to say the least.

 

[Lush]

So.... if it drags on past Sept, it's probably a NO?

If it's a YES and annouced before the Labour Party Conference, I will personally go down to the Brighton Centre and shake JP's....er....hand.

 

[Wardy]

So.... if it drags on past Sept, it's probably a NO?

If it's a YES and annouced before the Labour Party Conference, I will personally go down to the Brighton Centre and shake JP's....er....hand.

I will just go down and say what took so long you big fat git.

 

[harry_h]

I thought the Nimbys said they will accept the verdict and wont appeal

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

I will just go down and say what took so long you big fat git.

JP's office are dealing with it but does anyone really believe that JP himself knows much, if anything about Falmer at this stage?

 

[sullyupthewing]

I thought the Nimbys said they will accept the verdict and wont appeal

Lets hope they dont, but if one individual with a few quid wants to then he\she can.

 

[perth seagull]

JP's office are dealing with it but does anyone really believe that JP himself knows much, if anything about Falmer at this stage?

He probably doesn't know very much, only what his civil servants with their vested interests let him know, ala "Yes, Prime Minister".

 

[Lord Bracknell]

I don't know how this issue will run at the Labour Party conference. The NIMBYs seem to have a secret plan to distract attention from the big story (Falmer) by arranging a minor sideshow (Blair replaced by Brown as Prime Minister) just to capture the headlines.

Falmer For All were obviously off their guard when this other story began to blow up. I blame Dick Knight.

 

[woodster]

labours showing in the recent local elections may have a bearing on any decision that may be about to be given on falmer. can the labour party afford a no decision with the potential back lash that will occur? locally it would proove to be very damaging come the next council elections - can not see how the city will vote in another labour council!
on a national level the bad press that will undoubtably come out, if it is a no, would surely have an effect.

since the results from the other local elections at the end of last week i have become a little more confident that the answer is going to be yes. politically, the labour party have more to lose by saying no. this is a great opportunity for them to recover from a bad week and the conference in september would be free from any unwanted anti labour publicity. (not saying for one moment of course that any albion fans will show their displeasure should he say no!!! but i seem to remember he doesnt like eggs!!)

 

[Yorkie]

A judicial review will take more than just a few quid. All the money has to be up front before it starts and the NIMBY's are already paying an excess on their parish council tax bill to pay for the public inquiry.

It costs obscene amounts of money.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

There's a simple guide to how Judicial Review works here

 

[b.w.2.]

On the contrary, I WOULD like to suggest that JP and Labour will receive a torrent of (well-behaved) protest if he makes the huge mistake of sayin "No" to Falmer... I want him to know that the threat is there, and they will lose their 3 MP's in Brighton and Hove as well if the decsion goes the wrong way...

Enough pussy-footing about... 2 Jags needs to say "Yes", and he needs to say "Yes" soon... the political gains from a "Yes" decsion are obvious even to the most inept civil servant and politician... end of...

 

[Yorkie]

...

Enough pussy-footing about... 2 Jags needs to say "Yes", and he needs to say "Yes" soon... the political gains from a "Yes" decsion are obvious even to the most inept civil servant and politician... end of...

The problem at the moment is that the civil servants are being inert....

 

[South Stand Zealot]

Thanks Lord B re Judicial Review.

Whilst Ms Meadows' letter to me may give us all some comfort the delay in giving JP's decision is nevertheless agonising.

Being an Albion supporter these past 10 years has been hell, starting with the asset stripping of our beloved Goldstone, alleviated in part by the team's successes these past few seasons.

Once we get to Falmer I think we all deserve a medal.

Also I need some form of closure re the Goldstone. Building Falmer won't be enough. A simple short cereomony, perhaps a minute's silence at the first game at Falmer could be enough.

Since the Goldstone was torn down I have only been past it once - in a bus. I not only kept my back to the site but kept my eyes closed in case I caught a reflection of it in a window.

Quite silly really buy that's how I feel. The Goldstone was not only my theatre of dreams but it held so many personal memories for me too.

I feel sure there's many a fan out there who feels exactly the same.

 

[dougdeep]

I quite agree about the Goldstone, I always used to take a
different route rather than have to pass by the holy ground that was my second home.Then a couple of months ago I was told to
deliver a pallet of teddy bears to Toys-R-Us.I asked my boss if
someone else could do it ,but he told me to grow up and get on with it.
I reluctantly drove to the back door and got out of the cab and
looked around,I thought that I must be near the south goal
where I saw Bert Mc Gonigal get clattered by a Darlington
striker back in 1963.Nobody answered when I rang the bell so I
walked around the side where Stuart Henderson must have ran
and I swore I could here the North Stand chants of "Stuart for
Scotland" as I had back in 1965.When I reached the front of the
shop the memory of Bobby Smith almost bursting the net with one
of his two goals against Bradford City in 1964 came back to me.
After I had made the delivery and drove away I had to wipe my
eyes,perhaps my boss was right.

 

[South Stand Zealot]

That must have been HELL 4u Dougdeep.

I just hope DK is as stupidly sentimental as we and many others are !