Curious Orange
Punxsatawney Phil
The plight of Brighton & Hove Albion
Ever since the sale of Brightons Goldstone Ground in 1995 by
unscrupulous businessmen, out to make a buck on the sale of the site
to retail outlets (the old Goldstone site now houses, amongst other
things, a Comets, Toys R Us, and a Burger King), the club and its
fans have been battling in a constant struggle for survival. The
Albion somehow managed to retain its League status by the skin of its
teeth (goal difference !) the season the ground was sold, but two
miserable years in exile followed playing at Gillinghams ground,
while new chairman Dick Knight fought to get the club back to
Brighton.
After extensive negotiations, and under numerous stringent
conditions, in August 1999 the Albion were eventually allowed to
return back to Brighton and play at a rented athletics track known as
Withdean Stadium. This was under the provision that it would be a
temporary arrangement, as the facilities at Withdean, although
upgraded by the Albion, were totally inadequate to sustain a Football
League club in the long term. Withdean has a capacity of 7,000, and
is made up of temporary stands on two sides, with no roof covering,
and one small roofed stand along the side of the pitch. It is tightly
hemmed in by a nature reserve and residential housing. Upon moving to
Withdean, Dick Knight and the Chief Executive Martin Perry,
initiatated a comprehensive planning application for a new
state-of-the-art, 22,500 all seater purpose-built community stadium,
to be constructed in between the Brighton and Sussex Universities, on
a disused field immediatly next to the A27 at Falmer, on the
outskirts of Brighton.
Despite the careful design of the stadium to blend in with the
environment, and innovative plans to allow use of the stadium with
the minimum of disruption, the residents of the nearby Falmer
village, along with Lewes District Council, objected to the plans. In
2001, the project was called in for a full Public Inquiry. The
Inquiry eventually commenced in February 2003, where both sides
presented their arguments for and against the clubs plans. Detailed
studies of all aspects of the plan were presented and backed up with
evidence by various experts, from transport, lighting, impact on
wildlife, parking, etc. The Inquiry was finally concluded in October
2003, and the Government Inspector went away to compile his report
and recommendatons for John Prescott to make a decision on whether or
not to give the go-ahead to the stadium.
On the eve of the decision on the stadium plans, and to our horror,
the Local Planning Inspector at the Inquiry, Charles Hoile, has
released a report saying he feels that the Falmer site is unsuitable
for the stadium. Ignoring the extensive and exhaustive professional
evidence to the contrary, presented at the Inquiry by a series of
experts, Mr Hoile suggests that the club instead explore the
possibilities of several other sites (one including Withdean) which
were already thoroughly investigated and rejected as totally
unworkable during the planning stage. Mr Hoile goes on to cast doubt
as to the real need for a purpose-built stadium for what he
dismissively refers to as a "provincial city's professional
football club". In doing so, Mr Hoile is discarding the wishes
of almost 45,000 people who voted "yes" to the
stadium plans in a referendum (a two-thirds majority), and is flying
in the face of an 11-1 majority vote in favour of the plans by a
democratically elected council.
If Mr Prescott goes along with Mr Hoile's observations, then the
consequences for Brighton & Hove Albion will be utterly dire. This
will undoubtedly mean that Brighton & Hove Albion will cease to exist
in the very near future. The limitations at Withdean are well
documented, and the financial and logistical restrictions placed on
the Albion at this temporary home mean that the club would simply not
be able to sustain itself. After 103 years, professional football in
Sussex would be lost forever. It is absolutely crucial that, unlike
Mr Hoile, Mr Prescott take into account the facts that have been
presented at the Public Inquiry, before arriving at his decision.
The fate of Brighton & Hove Albion is now in John Prescotts hands.
Make no mistake, we will live or die by the decision he arrives at in
the near future over the granting of the Community Stadium. Right
now, hundreds and hundreds of Albion fans are busy writing and
emailing letters to John Prescott, imploring him to give the plans
the go-ahead, and not to merely base his decision on Mr Hoiles
questionable findings. I am writing to you to further raise the
profile of our plight, increase peoples awareness of what this is all
about, and to ask for your support in whatever ways you can offer. If
you can find the time, please please write to Mr Prescott in support
of the plans for Brightons new stadium. Post messages on your clubs
messageboards. Make the fans of your club aware of our situation, as
this could happen to any club, anywhere. The address is:
Mr John Prescott
26 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2WH
or email
planning.general@odpm.gsi.gov.uk
Thanks for taking the time to read this. Any message to Mr Prescott,
no matter how brief, could help our cause SO MUCH.
David Rider, aka Easy 10
(Lifelong Brighton fan and North Stand Chat poster)
Ever since the sale of Brightons Goldstone Ground in 1995 by
unscrupulous businessmen, out to make a buck on the sale of the site
to retail outlets (the old Goldstone site now houses, amongst other
things, a Comets, Toys R Us, and a Burger King), the club and its
fans have been battling in a constant struggle for survival. The
Albion somehow managed to retain its League status by the skin of its
teeth (goal difference !) the season the ground was sold, but two
miserable years in exile followed playing at Gillinghams ground,
while new chairman Dick Knight fought to get the club back to
Brighton.
After extensive negotiations, and under numerous stringent
conditions, in August 1999 the Albion were eventually allowed to
return back to Brighton and play at a rented athletics track known as
Withdean Stadium. This was under the provision that it would be a
temporary arrangement, as the facilities at Withdean, although
upgraded by the Albion, were totally inadequate to sustain a Football
League club in the long term. Withdean has a capacity of 7,000, and
is made up of temporary stands on two sides, with no roof covering,
and one small roofed stand along the side of the pitch. It is tightly
hemmed in by a nature reserve and residential housing. Upon moving to
Withdean, Dick Knight and the Chief Executive Martin Perry,
initiatated a comprehensive planning application for a new
state-of-the-art, 22,500 all seater purpose-built community stadium,
to be constructed in between the Brighton and Sussex Universities, on
a disused field immediatly next to the A27 at Falmer, on the
outskirts of Brighton.
Despite the careful design of the stadium to blend in with the
environment, and innovative plans to allow use of the stadium with
the minimum of disruption, the residents of the nearby Falmer
village, along with Lewes District Council, objected to the plans. In
2001, the project was called in for a full Public Inquiry. The
Inquiry eventually commenced in February 2003, where both sides
presented their arguments for and against the clubs plans. Detailed
studies of all aspects of the plan were presented and backed up with
evidence by various experts, from transport, lighting, impact on
wildlife, parking, etc. The Inquiry was finally concluded in October
2003, and the Government Inspector went away to compile his report
and recommendatons for John Prescott to make a decision on whether or
not to give the go-ahead to the stadium.
On the eve of the decision on the stadium plans, and to our horror,
the Local Planning Inspector at the Inquiry, Charles Hoile, has
released a report saying he feels that the Falmer site is unsuitable
for the stadium. Ignoring the extensive and exhaustive professional
evidence to the contrary, presented at the Inquiry by a series of
experts, Mr Hoile suggests that the club instead explore the
possibilities of several other sites (one including Withdean) which
were already thoroughly investigated and rejected as totally
unworkable during the planning stage. Mr Hoile goes on to cast doubt
as to the real need for a purpose-built stadium for what he
dismissively refers to as a "provincial city's professional
football club". In doing so, Mr Hoile is discarding the wishes
of almost 45,000 people who voted "yes" to the
stadium plans in a referendum (a two-thirds majority), and is flying
in the face of an 11-1 majority vote in favour of the plans by a
democratically elected council.
If Mr Prescott goes along with Mr Hoile's observations, then the
consequences for Brighton & Hove Albion will be utterly dire. This
will undoubtedly mean that Brighton & Hove Albion will cease to exist
in the very near future. The limitations at Withdean are well
documented, and the financial and logistical restrictions placed on
the Albion at this temporary home mean that the club would simply not
be able to sustain itself. After 103 years, professional football in
Sussex would be lost forever. It is absolutely crucial that, unlike
Mr Hoile, Mr Prescott take into account the facts that have been
presented at the Public Inquiry, before arriving at his decision.
The fate of Brighton & Hove Albion is now in John Prescotts hands.
Make no mistake, we will live or die by the decision he arrives at in
the near future over the granting of the Community Stadium. Right
now, hundreds and hundreds of Albion fans are busy writing and
emailing letters to John Prescott, imploring him to give the plans
the go-ahead, and not to merely base his decision on Mr Hoiles
questionable findings. I am writing to you to further raise the
profile of our plight, increase peoples awareness of what this is all
about, and to ask for your support in whatever ways you can offer. If
you can find the time, please please write to Mr Prescott in support
of the plans for Brightons new stadium. Post messages on your clubs
messageboards. Make the fans of your club aware of our situation, as
this could happen to any club, anywhere. The address is:
Mr John Prescott
26 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2WH
or email
planning.general@odpm.gsi.gov.uk
Thanks for taking the time to read this. Any message to Mr Prescott,
no matter how brief, could help our cause SO MUCH.
David Rider, aka Easy 10
(Lifelong Brighton fan and North Stand Chat poster)
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