Okay, the headline is a tad sarcastic considering Brent Council has been often accused of ignoring the interests of local residents over various planning issues including developments around Wembley Stadium but Brent Council last week issued a call for the needs of local residents to be taken into account by any new owner of Wembley Stadium. Brent Council did of course allow an increase in the number of events and a lifting off capacity controls despite local opposition when Tottenham Hotspur moved into the stadium.
In a press release Brent Council said:
At the hearing LINK former England player Gary Neville strongly opposed the sale and suggested there were alternatives to the Football Association's claim that the sale would release funds to support grassroots football. He said the proposed sale wasa short term plan that 'we would regret forever.'Any new owner of Wembley Stadium needs to remember that the iconic home of English football is in the middle of a highly populated residential area and therefore residents' needs should be taken into account.
Brent Council's submission to the Digital, Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS) Committee calls on any new owner of the stadium to work closely with local residents, businesses and the Council to ensure investment in the local area continues, noting that £1.5billion has been ploughed into the area since 2002.
The Council highlights the importance of working with the local voluntary and community sector to ensure that money donated to community projects goes to the right places and benefits those who need it most.
The DCMS Committee [met] on Wednesday 18 July at 2pm for a public hearing on the future of Wembley.
Cllr Muhammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council, said:
Brent is proud to be the home of the national stadium. Our job as the Council is to fight residents' corner. The Council is a key stakeholder in relation to events at the stadium and has followed the recent news of a potential sale closely.
It is essential that whoever owns the stadium understands the importance of working closely with the Council and the local community to ensure that the benefits of the national stadium are widely experienced by local residents.
We want to make Wembley a fantastic place to live and work for all its residents. We believe new plans for the stadium must be beneficial for residents and in turn, the economic and regenerative success of the local area will supplement the commercial success of Wembley.
It is likely that any new owner would seek to maximise the number of events held at the stadium.
6 comments:
“Any new owner of Wembley Stadium needs to remember that the iconic home of English football is in the middle of a highly populated residential area” - well no shit Sherlock.
That Labour transformed Wembley “Park” into an urban concrete jungle is the reason it is a highly populated residential area. Once upon a time, planners who are probably viewed as quaint now put these stadiums out of the way so they wouldn’t disturb residents. However now, the challenge has become similar to those people who buy a gentrified/converted flat above a pub or next door to a club or music venue.. balancing the right to peace and quiet vs the rights of establishment that pre-date the activities of developers and crap local planning policy.
Scott, what's even funnier is being asked by Tourists "Where's the Park" in Wembley Park!. This happened to me recently and I could not stop laughing, I tried to explain that 100 years ago it was nearly all Park and Fields not now. Do you think we should start a campaign to rename the area? It's very misleading but then so is a lot of planning decisions.
"Wembley a fantastic place to live and work"......Butt must be joking. When has the Council ever listened to the residents?
Rename it Quintainville?
How about "Butts Garden Village? "
Cllr. Butt says: 'Brent is proud to be the home of the national stadium.'
So why did the Council agree in 2013 to allow Quintain to cover the tile murals on the walls of the Bobby Moore Bridge subway (and the plaque unveiled by his widow in 1993, which celebrates his name) with huge vinyl adverts?
Those tile murals show famous sports and entertainment events held over the years at Wembley Stadium and Arena, so if Brent is proud of this heritage, why cover them up?
And why did the Cabinet (following a recommendation in a report which did not mention the tile murals and confirmed that there had been no consultation on the matter) agree in January to extend Quintain's contract to cover the murals with adverts for a further four years?
The answer, of course, is MONEY; and a too cosy relationship between Quintain and those with the power at the Civic Centre.
But please (or should that be Butt, please) don't try to pretend that you care about Wembley's rich heritage, or that you lead a Council which actually carries out its job '... to fight residents' corner.'
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