Green's blocking Amex expansion plans? Steve Bassam

[The Large One]

Oh ok i must have dreamed all these madcap green proposals then......thank god for that!!!

You said BHCC was the only council refusing government money - they're not.

You said they intend to make bin collection monthly - I've read the budget proposals (or at least the bit about bin collection); there's no mention of it that I could find.

 

[Vegas Seagull]

The current car parks have space every matchday, more so in the last couple of games. Uni car park 5 had a fair number of Forest cars and a significant number of empty spaces on Sat so hardly under pressue with current sell outs
Both apps are going in hand in hand as there is NO WAY anyone will be seen to turn down 2 (TWO) huge investment/jobs plans for the area

 

[Westdene Seagull]

I like much of what the Green Party is trying to do. I'm not a member, nor never will be.

However, there is an awful lot of shit written about them on here, so if anything, I'm offering an equal and opposite argument in terms of strength in re-balancing the points of view. The stuff about 'tree-huggers' and 'lentil munchers' is puerile bollocks.

Fact is, I have three Green councillors in my ward, and I do talk to them, especially over things raised on here about the stadium. They have concerns over expansion, and are keen for it to be as minimally impactful as possible - doesn't everyone want that? Are they against expansion? Not according to the councillors I speak to.

The party line is - and this is sensible considering they're in control - they want and need the Albion to be a jewel in the city, and that they wish to work well with them.

Welcome to mainstream politics - there's plenty of crap written about Labour and the Tories as well. The Green Party just need to get used to it. Thankfully, as a floating voter, I read between the lines. The Greens do indeed have some decent policies but I treat them with the same contempt and suspicion as I do the other three main parties.

As I say, the Greens will need to be measured by their actions on the stadium expansion but I'd lay a reasonable bet that they refuse it.

 

[The Large One]

I was pretty sure a car park at BACA was going ahead,QUOTE]

Your first post on this thread stated that a car park at BACA was a non starter.

I'm confused.

Sorry, I said I was 'pretty sure' a few months ago - then a post by Alex Dawson put a huge kybosh on that.

 

[Billy the Fish]

As a response to my post, yours makes no sense. You're going to have to explain it, unless you think (wrongly) that the Green Party has always been anti-stadium.

It would make perfect sense if you weren't so blinkered.

Of course the Green party is anti stadium, look at their history and their policies, do you really think that they support a stadium built on the downs?

They are politicians, and just like all the others they're not going to start publicising opinions that will hurt them politically. They told you they support the stadium and you swallow it without question. Next you'll be saying you swapped your car for some magic beans........

 

[kano]

You said BHCC was the only council refusing government money - they're not.

You said they intend to make bin collection monthly - I've read the budget proposals (or at least the bit about bin collection); there's no mention of it that I could find.

but they ARE refusing government money in favour of raising our CT, OK maybe a few others are not doing it also now....the difference for the people who voted the greens in is?

i didnt mention monthly bin collection i said they would cut it, the fact that you are aware of monthly bin collection suggests that its been mentioned at some point at least!
cant find it myself

 

[The Large One]

Welcome to mainstream politics - there's plenty of crap written about Labour and the Tories as well. The Green Party just need to get used to it. Thankfully, as a floating voter, I read between the lines. The Greens do indeed have some decent policies but I treat them with the same contempt and suspicion as I do the other three main parties.

As I say, the Greens will need to be measured by their actions on the stadium expansion but I'd lay a reasonable bet that they refuse it.

Yep, fully agree.

Except... you? A floating voter, Ian? I thought you were at the UKIP end of the Tory Party.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

My view is that the application will be passed at committee but with some very tough stipulations around transport. That way the Greens can say we passed it and now it's up to the club to meet it's obligations. The problem is that I'm not sure the club will be able to ...

Oh, I'm sure it will focus their minds. The club could stop pandering to the private car in Bennett's Fields for example. How many buses and taxis could that place hold? THAT would be generating income for the City and the county. As well as pleasing the Greens. Might even get an improved train service out of it, with creative use of longer trains and making people move down a bit. OK, a LOT.

 

[Brighton Breezy]

Christ on a bike, looking back over Lord Bassam's press release, the man cannot even use capital letters properly let alone frame an intelligent political debate...

START

Greens Put Stadium Capacity Growth At Risk and Delay Re-Building of Bridge Community Centre

Former City Leader Lord Bassam has attacked the ruling Green Party decision to stop the provision of much needed Car Parking at BACA and delay the provision of the much needed Bridge Community Centre. Lord Bassam says that the decision on car parking also threatens the Brighton and Hove Albion FC plan to expand capacity at the Amex Stadium.

‘The Green Group running the Council have taken a truly bizarre decision which slows down the provision of the Bridge Community Centre, will cost the Council £1m they haven’t got and threatens to prevent the expansion of the Amex upto 30,000. It also means the Council are in breach of a promise they made when the Ground was being developed.

The Greens never liked the Stadium being built at Falmer and now they are effectively saying no to its expansion for ideological reasons. They don’t like cars and they don’t like Academy Schools.

The football club was promising to demolish the current redundant buildings at BACA and rebuild a new community Centre. Initially with a surface car park and then an underground car park. The 1,000 spaces the car park provides are integral to the football clubs plan to expand capacity at the stadium. It will be harder to get planning approval without adequate additional parking as part of the transport plan.

Like many fans I fought to get the stadium at Falmer and now the Green Party in a fit of ideological pique have taken a decision which threatens to undermine its growing success. The relocation of ALBION to the Amex has been the best thing to happen in the City for decades and has worked wonders for jobs and opportunities for local people. The Green Party don’t understand the need for its expansion. Many of us want to see premiership football in our City clearly they don’t. In my view this is not only a terrible decision for the club and the city but manifestly a Bonkers decision which the Greens would be well advised to reverse asap.

I cannot believe that they have taken the financially irresponsible decision to spend £1m that they don’t have at a time when they are cutting services and putting up Council tax. There is no reasonable justification for this decision. Labour warned that the Greens would not work to the City’s best interest and this decision is evidence of that warning.’

Background Information.
The stadium capacity needs to grow and was always planned. In backing the stadium Labour recognised the need for growth. The club has achieved a remarkable 68% of fans arriving by public transport at the stadium. But it does need car parking spaces for some of the additional fans that capacity growth will mean.

END

 

[les dynam]

I voted green and i think they're doing an EXCELLENT job of running the council so far. Accountable and transparent, with loads of sensible and fair policies and initiatives. So much so that i've just posted off my application form to join them.

Regarding the stadium stuff... feel free to believe this anti green twaddle... why on earth would they give a flying fluff about the extra 8,000 seats at Falmer? There's no evidence that they're blocking anything. Are they interested in the Club's transport plans... of course they are and so they should be as the ruling council. The stadium can only function with a properly planned and executed transport plan involving buses and trains. Like it or not, Falmer is a 'green' stadium already, as the majority of us arrive and leave by public transport.

 

[les dynam]

The current car parks have space every matchday, more so in the last couple of games. Uni car park 5 had a fair number of Forest cars and a significant number of empty spaces on Sat so hardly under pressue with current sell outs
Both apps are going in hand in hand as there is NO WAY anyone will be seen to turn down 2 (TWO) huge investment/jobs plans for the area

Car park season tickets are still available, by the way. Would have thought they'd have been snapped up by now. I guess the majority of us... prefer to get a few beers down our necks and catch the train home!

 

[Westdene Seagull]

You said BHCC was the only council refusing government money - they're not.

You said they intend to make bin collection monthly - I've read the budget proposals (or at least the bit about bin collection); there's no mention of it that I could find.

Jason Kitcat is on record on a number of occasions as saying that monthly bin collections are a firm aim of the Green Party. It might not be this year but they certainly are planning for it. That said Labour were planning for bi-weekly collections.

 

[The Large One]

It would make perfect sense if you weren't so blinkered.

Of course the Green party is anti stadium, look at their history and their policies, do you really think that they support a stadium built on the downs?

They are politicians, and just like all the others they're not going to start publicising opinions that will hurt them politically. They told you they support the stadium and you swallow it without question. Next you'll be saying you swapped your car for some magic beans........

It's interesting you call me 'blinkered' when you're so pre-judgemental. You evidently don't know what they stand for locally - that much is obvious - and it doesn't suit your argument to find out, does it?

When I said 'a lot of shit is written about the Greens' I didn't really mean it as an open invitation to carry on proving that point.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Yep, fully agree.

Except... you? A floating voter, Ian? I thought you were at the UKIP end of the Tory Party.

Fair point Alan. When it comes to Europe yes indeed I'm in the UKIP camp. Given I've voted Tory, Labour, Lib Dem ( sorry ! ), UKIP and Green at elections I think it's fair to call me a floating voter on other issues !

 

[Billy the Fish]

There's no evidence that they're blocking anything..

Probably because there's nothing to block yet.

To be fair, Bassam is obviously playing the political game and getting his blows in first. By highlighting this now before the application is made, it's drawing attention to the situation so the Greens can't pull a fast one on the sly.

 

[public school boy]

I really can't understand why the club should be looking to increase car parking in the stadium/Falmer area. People need to get used to leaving their cars at home. More coaches/buses, car sharing, bikes or walking is the order of the day. How many people use the Kingston park and ride?

 

[sir albion]

The greens can try as they must,but they won't stop the BHA juggernaut from expanding end of,maybe delay things but thats about it

 

[Billy the Fish]

It's interesting you call me 'blinkered' when you're so pre-judgemental. You evidently don't know what they stand for locally - that much is obvious - and it doesn't suit your argument to find out, does it?

When I said 'a lot of shit is written about the Greens' I didn't really mean it as an open invitation to carry on proving that point.

What's the problem with being pre-judgemental? To use another BNP analogy, if BNP councillors were telling people they support the building of a mosque in a white area of Burnley, subject to a few planning conditions, I would be well within my rights to question whether that is true given the history of the party and their politics.

Just because it's the Greens nobody seems to question them. I'll ask again, given the history of the party and their policies, deep down do you really believe that the Green party supports a stadium built on downland?

Is it really beyond the realms of possiblity that politicians might just be paying lip service to the local electorate because they know it's a subject which could hurt them at the polls.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

I voted green and i think they're doing an EXCELLENT job of running the council so far. Accountable and transparent, with loads of sensible and fair policies and initiatives. So much so that i've just posted off my application form to join them.

We'll ignore their complete refusal to implement the committee system so that they can force through polices ( good and bad ones ) then. The committee system would at least allow varying party views to be taken into account, especially given the Green Party don;t have a majority.

 

[The Large One]

Just because it's the Greens nobody seems to question them. I'll ask again, given the history of the party and their policies, deep down do you really believe that the Green party supports a stadium built on downland?

Is it really beyond the realms of possiblity that politicians might just be paying lip service to the local electorate because they know it's a subject which could hurt them at the polls.

I stand by the contention - no, fact - that their party line was that while they would have preferred not to have had the stadium where it is (even the club knows and has said that Falmer is not ideal - it is the 'least worst' option), they themselves offered no decent alternatives, and said at the time that they would accept the decision of the Inquiry. If you recall, they did not join in the appeals that LDC, the South Downsmen, CPRE etc lodged to Prescott's decision. True, they didn't speak out as a champion of the plan, but then, then nor did the Tories as a party line.

Sad though it may sound, I made a point of finding out which group said what about the stadium at the time of the inquiries, and I recall the Green Party being curiously quiet - and this was at a time when no-one would have thought of them running the council a few years down the line.

As regards today, as Westdene Seagull pointed out earlier - 'welcome to mainstream politics'. Everything for them has changed - they have to run the city now for everyone, Green voters and non-Green voters. They are now no longer just a political pressure group.

To that end, they do know and do acknowledge that the club is VITAL for the city, and they do work with them. They need for the club to not make traffic conditions in the city any worse - and any large event like a 30,000 gathering on the edge of the city will have knock-on effects in other parts of the city.

It is possible, nay probable, that they may put up one or two more hurdles than other parties might, but not - I don't believe - on the back of what Bassam is chirping on about.