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The NEW £60million Falmer Stadium
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Shock revamp for Falmer
8:48am Monday 15th September 2008
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By Simon Barrett »
Plans for Falmer stadium face a dramatic revamp after costs soared by £10 million.
The soaring price of steel and changes to stadium building regulations during years of delays to the project have rendered Brighton and Hove Albion's approved plans useless.
The club has been forced to re-draw the proposals and is now preparing to submit another planning application to Brighton and Hove City Council.
The move raises the spectre of opponents to the 22,500 seater stadium again seeking to derail the plans.
Martin Perry, who heads the 30-strong stadium team, last night said the budget for the project has ballooned to £60million.
But he insisted the project was on track and assured fans work would begin on site as planned in December.
He said: “The budget is now a little over £60million. We have always maintained that the stadium is fundable and that has not changed.
“This application does not affect the work we are planning to begin by the end of the year. But yes, if the council rejected the application we would have to stop.”
The new plans will be discussed at the city council's major projects metting tomorrow.
The report reveals several changes to the designs which were originally logged with the council in 2002.
Two public inquires and a High Court legal challenge delayed the project until July 2007, when the Government finally granted approval.
Changes to the scheme include:
* An internal area increase from 18,189sq m to 27,796sq m.
* Grass topped chalk bunds, designed to allow the stadium to blend in with the surrounding environment, scrapped in favour of blockwork walls and a metal roof.
* Tubular steel arch replaced with a trussed design to cut costs.
* Plans for offices under the East Stand to be let to businesses replaced with more teaching space for City College.
* Chalk excavated from the Village Way site to be spread on a nearby field to save 22,000 lorry trips over four months.
Many of the changes, including larger concourses inside the stadium, have been imposed on the club by revisions to building regulations and new guidance from football authorities including FIFA and UEFA.
Others are financially motivated after the price of steel rocketed by 50% since the original plans were drawn up.
Mr Perry said the cost of the arch and roof alone had shot up from £6million to £12million in that time. With the planned changes, that figure will now be reduced to £8million.
The news will inevitably lead to fears that opponents of the scheme will again try to get the stadium scrapped.
Lewes District Council (LDC), Falmer Parish Council, the South Downs Society and the Campaign to Protect Rural England were among those originally opposed to the stadium.
Paul Samrah, chairman of the Falmer For All campaign, said: “The club has been working alongside LDC and the chances of this being called in by the Government are nil.
“The only way an opponent could seek a judicial review is if there is an error in the way planning consent was granted.
“I am very confident that will not happen and the message to fans is simply to keep the faith.”
However Lewes MP Norman Baker, who also opposed the stadium, said: “There was always a fear among my constituents that the club would be unable to fund the scheme and would have to come back for more commercial space to sell. That now appears to be the case.
“I am very concerned.”
Shock revamp for Falmer
8:48am Monday 15th September 2008
comment Comments (0) Have your say »
By Simon Barrett »
Plans for Falmer stadium face a dramatic revamp after costs soared by £10 million.
The soaring price of steel and changes to stadium building regulations during years of delays to the project have rendered Brighton and Hove Albion's approved plans useless.
The club has been forced to re-draw the proposals and is now preparing to submit another planning application to Brighton and Hove City Council.
The move raises the spectre of opponents to the 22,500 seater stadium again seeking to derail the plans.
Martin Perry, who heads the 30-strong stadium team, last night said the budget for the project has ballooned to £60million.
But he insisted the project was on track and assured fans work would begin on site as planned in December.
He said: “The budget is now a little over £60million. We have always maintained that the stadium is fundable and that has not changed.
“This application does not affect the work we are planning to begin by the end of the year. But yes, if the council rejected the application we would have to stop.”
The new plans will be discussed at the city council's major projects metting tomorrow.
The report reveals several changes to the designs which were originally logged with the council in 2002.
Two public inquires and a High Court legal challenge delayed the project until July 2007, when the Government finally granted approval.
Changes to the scheme include:
* An internal area increase from 18,189sq m to 27,796sq m.
* Grass topped chalk bunds, designed to allow the stadium to blend in with the surrounding environment, scrapped in favour of blockwork walls and a metal roof.
* Tubular steel arch replaced with a trussed design to cut costs.
* Plans for offices under the East Stand to be let to businesses replaced with more teaching space for City College.
* Chalk excavated from the Village Way site to be spread on a nearby field to save 22,000 lorry trips over four months.
Many of the changes, including larger concourses inside the stadium, have been imposed on the club by revisions to building regulations and new guidance from football authorities including FIFA and UEFA.
Others are financially motivated after the price of steel rocketed by 50% since the original plans were drawn up.
Mr Perry said the cost of the arch and roof alone had shot up from £6million to £12million in that time. With the planned changes, that figure will now be reduced to £8million.
The news will inevitably lead to fears that opponents of the scheme will again try to get the stadium scrapped.
Lewes District Council (LDC), Falmer Parish Council, the South Downs Society and the Campaign to Protect Rural England were among those originally opposed to the stadium.
Paul Samrah, chairman of the Falmer For All campaign, said: “The club has been working alongside LDC and the chances of this being called in by the Government are nil.
“The only way an opponent could seek a judicial review is if there is an error in the way planning consent was granted.
“I am very confident that will not happen and the message to fans is simply to keep the faith.”
However Lewes MP Norman Baker, who also opposed the stadium, said: “There was always a fear among my constituents that the club would be unable to fund the scheme and would have to come back for more commercial space to sell. That now appears to be the case.
“I am very concerned.”
sod1
New member
British Bulldog
The great escape
- Feb 6, 2006
- 10,897
I hope Perry's right because the club can only push fans patience so far.
Screaming J
He'll put a spell on you
How in f***'s name does he know that? Does he also know who is going to win the Grand National next year?
The whole Planning application was based not only on the site but on the size of stadium at the site. All the debate about congestion and associated evidence was linked to the size of the stadium.
And here's me thinking the end of our troubles is finally in sight. Is it EVER going to happen
This doesn't sound too clever
Plans for Falmer stadium face a dramatic revamp after costs soared by £10 million.
The soaring price of steel and changes to stadium building regulations during years of delays to the project have rendered Brighton and Hove Albion's approved plans useless.
The club has been forced to re-draw the proposals and is now preparing to submit another planning application to Brighton and Hove City Council.
The move raises the spectre of opponents to the 22,500 seater stadium again seeking to derail the plans.
Plans for Falmer stadium face a dramatic revamp after costs soared by £10 million.
The soaring price of steel and changes to stadium building regulations during years of delays to the project have rendered Brighton and Hove Albion's approved plans useless.
The club has been forced to re-draw the proposals and is now preparing to submit another planning application to Brighton and Hove City Council.
The move raises the spectre of opponents to the 22,500 seater stadium again seeking to derail the plans.
* An internal area increase from 18,189sq m to 27,796sq m.
that is a HUGE increase in size!
* Grass topped chalk bunds, designed to allow the stadium to blend in with the surrounding environment, scrapped in favour of blockwork walls and a metal roof.
from first imaginations that looks SHIT....will await pictures!
that is a HUGE increase in size!
* Grass topped chalk bunds, designed to allow the stadium to blend in with the surrounding environment, scrapped in favour of blockwork walls and a metal roof.
from first imaginations that looks SHIT....will await pictures!
Also was this not a major selling point to appease the Falmer/ Lewes brigade
Grass topped chalk bunds, designed to allow the stadium to blend in with the surrounding environment, scrapped in favour of blockwork walls and a metal roof.
Grass topped chalk bunds, designed to allow the stadium to blend in with the surrounding environment, scrapped in favour of blockwork walls and a metal roof.
Eric Potts
Well-known member
Surely this will be viewed as a substantial change to the original plans , and will invite more objections from the usual subjects
I must admit as I drive passed the field everyday for the last year I always thought " how the f*** are we going to fit our stadium in there ? ".
big increase in cost of commodities has massive impact on cost of stadium, hate to say I told you so
I think we should try and calmed down until Lord Bracknell can give some insight but I think he is abroad somewhere.
Agreed - it sounds crap and also surely the blending in with the environment was a HUGE factor in us being to build it where we are. This doesn't look good at all.
clippedgull
Hotdogs, extra onions
Where is our expert Mr Steward 433 at times like this, we need to know the INSIDE story!
I am going to place my blind faith in Martin Perry for this one...
...I don't know why, but I have a feeling that this article may be a bit of good old argus over-hyping what is in fact a pretty small story. I await the club's response.
...I don't know why, but I have a feeling that this article may be a bit of good old argus over-hyping what is in fact a pretty small story. I await the club's response.
I was so excited that this was going to be one of the best looking new stadia in the country, better even than places like the Ricoh, but now to be totally honest the changes make it sounds shit. I trust them to pull it out of the bag, but this could be a monumental let down.
Dwayne the economic climate in the last year ( ironically since we got permission ) has been the worst since the end of the 2nd World War. Anyone who thought it was just press on without being affected were deluded to say the least.
The dleays Lewes DC caused could come back to haunt us. If we had got permission in 2004 we would have been showered with people rushing to give us credit.
The dleays Lewes DC caused could come back to haunt us. If we had got permission in 2004 we would have been showered with people rushing to give us credit.
Wasnt it him that was telling us how costs would not rise?