Martin Perry on SCR

[Tommy Cook reporting]

Just a quick point about what Martin Perry said on yesterdays SCR Harty phone-in that has sort of confused me. Apologies if this has been talked about elsewhere, but I have a life (sometimes) and cannot spare the time to go through all the threads!

Talking about how the inquiry was coming down to a crunch between Falmer and Sheepcoate, Martin basically said that if Prescott feels there is another site (i.e Sheepcoate) then Falmer will be turned down. What that then means is that we can put a planning application in for Sheepcoate straightaway and it won't have to go back to his department if the Council approves it - even if there are serious objections. Thus we have a new ground, very quickly.

However, not minutes before Martin was saying that it would bring Brighton to a standstill having a stadium there. So if this scenario did occur (and it is a distinct possibility) how would the club solve the problem?

Any ideas?

 

[Beach Hut]

Falmer or bust I am afraid.

But don't worry it will be Falmer.

 

[LANGDON SEAGULL]

I think Perry is using Sheepcote as a bluff, in other words the next best Alternative would not be sustainable

 

[Tommy Cook reporting]

Yeah, but even if he is using it as a bluff that doesn't stop Prescott saying there is another site - Sheepcote. Let's face it Political expediency being what it is.

Beach Hut it clearly isn't Falmer or bust, is it? Otherwise Martin Perry wouldn't have said "either way we get a stadium". So it is clearly option b to the club.

So the question remains, how will the club stop Brighton coming to a standstill if it is Sheepcote?

 

[dougdeep]

If it was Sheepcote, I'd park in Falmer and cycle from there.

 

[Beach Hut]

I think it is.

Sheepcote valley will cause too much traffic chaos and also I suspect the residents of Roedean would have considerably more cash than the Falmer nimbys to fight their cause.

 

[LANGDON SEAGULL]

Yeah, but even if he is using it as a bluff that doesn't stop Prescott saying there is another site - Sheepcote. Let's face it Political expediency being what it is.

Beach Hut it clearly isn't Falmer or bust, is it? Otherwise Martin Perry wouldn't have said "either way we get a stadium". So it is clearly option b to the club.

So the question remains, how will the club stop Brighton coming to a standstill if it is Sheepcote?

By making it AMS members only

 

[Tommy Cook reporting]

Langdon LOL!

But Beach Hut again the point is that whatever the Roedean residents weath, they will not be able to get John Prescotts dept to call it in, because he would have already said it was the ONLY site in Brighton and Hove!

As a result, they'd stand no chance....

 

[LANGDON SEAGULL]

Transport would be v. difficult, at least two miles from the train station. Imagine if a race day was on the same day, or the school has an event on. Wilson Avenue is congested with residents parking. Its a no goer

 

[ac gull]

If it was at Sheepcote there will be about 100 bus driver jobs going where you only work one afternoon a fortnight!

Quite where you would lease the buses from when you only need them about 20 or 25 days a year I don't know.

This is the point at the enquiry last week; Lewes District Council reckon there is no problem re a stadium at Sheepcote as we would all get trains to Brighton and buses from there; and that no-one would go to the ground by car and park in the streets near by; i.e. no problems or traffic jams or anythinh like that at all!

How the Inspector interprets this issue in his report will be a key factor in the decision as to whether we get Falmer or we don't get Falmer because we are told by Prescott that Sheepcote is a better site.

 

[LANGDON SEAGULL]

Remember the 11% who would cycle there!

 

[Hunting 784561]

No one should rule Sheepcote out completetly because of transport reasons. Football grounds have been built in recent years in far less promising sites than Sheepcote Valley, like at Wycombe ( back of an industrial estate ) , Southampton St Marys ( an inner city dock area) for example.

If comes down to two, its got to be a closed question to the Inspector, i.e., which site can we have then, Falmer or Sheepcote ?

A 'heads we win' or 'tales you lose' scenairo if you like , and from what I saw this week at Brighton Town Hall, MP is playing his hand very well indeed.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

So the question remains, how will the club stop Brighton coming to a standstill if it is Sheepcote?

The Albion wouldn't do anything to stop Brighton coming to a standstill.

The whole point about Sheepcote Valley is that transport access is "unsustainable".

What that means is many things.

One of them is a technical, planning type thing. It is that there would be no mitigating measures that the developer could be forced to sign up to through a Section 106 Agreement to remedy the environmental disbenefits brought about by the development.

In plain English ... the community at large would have to live with the consequences of the planning permission being granted.




[Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act, 1990 - if anyone is that interested]

 

[Lord Bracknell]

It's even arguable that the Club would have a sound legal case for refusing to commit itself to running any park and ride schemes if the stadium was at Sheepcote Valley.

At this stage of the Planning Inquiry, however, the costs of operating at Sheepcote DO take into account the provision of as much mitigating activity as possible - including P&R and extra bus services from the City Centre (but only up to the limit of the number of buses that would actually be available).

 

[Tommy Cook reporting]

Well, in anticipation of it being Sheepcote Valley I think it is time to invest heavily in the Volks Railway, and dual track it all the way! Add another 5 coaches and hey presto that'll get 500 people up to Black Rock in no time!

 

[Ccider]

Well, in anticipation of it being Sheepcote Valley I think it is time to invest heavily in the Volks Railway, and dual track it all the way! Add another 5 coaches and hey presto that'll get 500 people up to Black Rock in no time!

So Sheepcote is quite near a railway station after all then...

 

[dougdeep]

Wont we have the monorail built by then?

 

[Ccider]

Wont we have the monorail built by then?

Then = 2084?

 

[perseus]

Remember the 11% who would cycle there!

I think you have got it there. despite the hills, it seems to be the only way to get there.