Lady Bracknell
Handbag at Dawn
This was selectively released ahead of the embargoed time but it's now got to the rest of us on the meejah list:
The Falmer Stadium Decision
Statement by Peter Gardiner, Lead Councillor for Planning
Lewes District Council
When the decision by the Secretary of State was issued on 24 July 2007, I said that we would take time to take legal advice on its content. That advice has now been received and I have given careful consideration to the District Council’s position in relation to the issues raised by the decision.
First, I would like to thank the organisations that have worked with the District Council for so long on the issues raised by the Falmer stadium proposal. We have always said that the Albion deserved a new stadium, but that the Falmer proposal went against long adopted national and local planning policies for the area. That is why we opposed the Falmer stadium proposal in the public inquiry. We have never belittled the Albion Football Club or any of its activities.
The inspector who conducted the public inquiry concluded, on planning grounds, that the case against the Falmer stadium proposal was “overwhelming” and recommended refusal of the planning applications. John Prescott refused to accept his inspector’s recommendation and reopened the inquiry to consider alternative sites. His subsequent decision to approve the Falmer stadium proposal was riddled with mistakes.
We challenged John Prescott’s decision because he did not properly justify why he was prepared to go against established planning policies by allowing a development that would harm the Sussex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). That fundamental point was never tested in the High Court because John Prescott’s blunder in stating that the site was within the built up area of Brighton caused the Government to accept that the decision should be quashed without a court hearing.
The latest decision from the Government again permits the stadium to be built at Falmer within the AONB and weakens national and local policies for protecting the countryside. In particular, it weakens the case against major developments in areas of AONB and National Parks by accepting that such developments may be permitted if the Government thinks they support regeneration outside those protected areas. The Government admits that “substantial adverse impact” will be caused to the AONB by the Falmer stadium development (decision letter paragraph 57) but says that the harm is acceptable because of “exceptional circumstances” and other factors.
For the second time, Government has refused to accept the recommendations of its own inspector that the Falmer stadium proposal is wrong on planning grounds. The decision letter shows that the Government is motivated to approve the Falmer stadium proposal regardless of national and local planning policies. For example, the Government seeks to justify its conclusion that “exceptional circumstances” exist by giving exaggerated weight to its view that the development will act as a regeneration project for the deprived communities of east Brighton.
If a fresh challenge was launched, the decision might again be quashed by the High Court and again be sent back to the Government for reconsideration. The strong probability is that, after a further delay, the Government would, yet again, approve the Falmer stadium proposal using different words to justify its decision.
We have discussed the situation with representatives of Falmer Parish Council. We sympathise with the views of the people of Falmer village that the Government has not dealt fairly with them and has not properly applied its own planning policies.
In its role as a local planning authority, Lewes District Council has gone as far as it can go to convince the Government to uphold the planning policies that were put in place to protect the AONB from harmful development and will, therefore, not challenge in the High Court the Secretary of State’s decision of 24 July. The Council will work with the Albion Football Club and Brighton and Hove City Council to do everything possible to minimise the impact of the development on the village of Falmer and the Sussex Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Peter Gardiner
Lead Councillor for Planning,
Lewes District Council, 31 July 2007
The Falmer Stadium Decision
Statement by Peter Gardiner, Lead Councillor for Planning
Lewes District Council
When the decision by the Secretary of State was issued on 24 July 2007, I said that we would take time to take legal advice on its content. That advice has now been received and I have given careful consideration to the District Council’s position in relation to the issues raised by the decision.
First, I would like to thank the organisations that have worked with the District Council for so long on the issues raised by the Falmer stadium proposal. We have always said that the Albion deserved a new stadium, but that the Falmer proposal went against long adopted national and local planning policies for the area. That is why we opposed the Falmer stadium proposal in the public inquiry. We have never belittled the Albion Football Club or any of its activities.
The inspector who conducted the public inquiry concluded, on planning grounds, that the case against the Falmer stadium proposal was “overwhelming” and recommended refusal of the planning applications. John Prescott refused to accept his inspector’s recommendation and reopened the inquiry to consider alternative sites. His subsequent decision to approve the Falmer stadium proposal was riddled with mistakes.
We challenged John Prescott’s decision because he did not properly justify why he was prepared to go against established planning policies by allowing a development that would harm the Sussex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). That fundamental point was never tested in the High Court because John Prescott’s blunder in stating that the site was within the built up area of Brighton caused the Government to accept that the decision should be quashed without a court hearing.
The latest decision from the Government again permits the stadium to be built at Falmer within the AONB and weakens national and local policies for protecting the countryside. In particular, it weakens the case against major developments in areas of AONB and National Parks by accepting that such developments may be permitted if the Government thinks they support regeneration outside those protected areas. The Government admits that “substantial adverse impact” will be caused to the AONB by the Falmer stadium development (decision letter paragraph 57) but says that the harm is acceptable because of “exceptional circumstances” and other factors.
For the second time, Government has refused to accept the recommendations of its own inspector that the Falmer stadium proposal is wrong on planning grounds. The decision letter shows that the Government is motivated to approve the Falmer stadium proposal regardless of national and local planning policies. For example, the Government seeks to justify its conclusion that “exceptional circumstances” exist by giving exaggerated weight to its view that the development will act as a regeneration project for the deprived communities of east Brighton.
If a fresh challenge was launched, the decision might again be quashed by the High Court and again be sent back to the Government for reconsideration. The strong probability is that, after a further delay, the Government would, yet again, approve the Falmer stadium proposal using different words to justify its decision.
We have discussed the situation with representatives of Falmer Parish Council. We sympathise with the views of the people of Falmer village that the Government has not dealt fairly with them and has not properly applied its own planning policies.
In its role as a local planning authority, Lewes District Council has gone as far as it can go to convince the Government to uphold the planning policies that were put in place to protect the AONB from harmful development and will, therefore, not challenge in the High Court the Secretary of State’s decision of 24 July. The Council will work with the Albion Football Club and Brighton and Hove City Council to do everything possible to minimise the impact of the development on the village of Falmer and the Sussex Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Peter Gardiner
Lead Councillor for Planning,
Lewes District Council, 31 July 2007
