Transport for London, in response the the Wembley National Stadium Ltd (WNSL) planning application for an increased number of 'Large Events' at Wembley Stadium and an increase in the crowd threshold, seek mitigations if the application is to approved. Quintain Ltd make representations on behalf of residents on their estate and (perhaps) those further afield.
Given recent coverage on Wembley Matters of public transport difficulties that TfL make it clear that they do not agree with WSNL's claim that eight additional major events will have a 'neglible' impact on the underground and say that this also applies to non-major events.
Unfortunately TfL do not go into detail on the impact on local bus routes but Quintain Ltd call for mitigation of the impact of additional events on bus travel.
Quintain's mosr signifcant demand is:
To ensure residents' amenity is adequately protected, WNSL should commit to
the following restrictions on events:
? a cap on the maximum number of consecutive non -sporting events;
? a cap on the maximum number of non-sporting events per week; and
? a cap on the maximum number of weeks in any calendar year where the maximum number of consecutive non -sporting events or maximum number of non-sporting events in a week can be held.
The restrictions would go some way to addressing residents' concerns about the impact of events.
Quintain call for WNSL to be responsible for all additional operational and maintenance costs associated with the additional number of events.
TRANSPORT FOR LONDON
Main points highlighted:
Thank you for consulting
Transport for London ('TfL') on the above planning application.
For context, TfL is the strategic highway authority in respect of Greater
London Authority roads and strategic public transportation provider including
London Underground Services, London Overground services, as well as buses.
To summarise, the application proposes a significant increase in events:8 additional major events at
the Stadium, not including European and World
Cup events where England/UK is a host nation, to a total of 54 major events per
year ii) events which are currently major events (spectator capacity figure between 51,000 and 59,999) but
proposed not to be covered as major events pursuant to this planning
application.
TfL is not objecting to the proposals, strictly subject to the local planning
authority appropriately securing the necessary transport mitigation measures set out below:
1. The submitted assessment states that the impact of additional eight major
events will have a negligible impact on underground services. The same conclusion is also reached
for non major events. This conclusion is not agreed with. It is essential that
all the necessary mitigation is in place
to address the additional pressure that these events put on the TfL public
transport network and associated
infrastructure, operational staff and passengers. We note that Chiltern
Railways, carrying 8-12 percent of customers to Wembley events, are currently objecting to the
proposals as they do not have sufficient rolling stock and staff to support the
proposed additional major events at
Wembley, placing further strain on TfL services.
2. Event days require extra staff at each station, who need to be redeployed
from elsewhere. It is also useful to note that the number of large-scale events happening simultaneously
across London has increased, placing further pressure on TfL's resources. TfL
request
funding for additional FTEs at Wembley Park Station is secured through the
appropriate legal mechanism.
3.
Consideration will also need to be given to the non-staff costs accrued by TfL
during events. We are happy to meet to discuss the exact requirement based on more detailed discussion
with the applicant. Further information on the queries raised at Point 6 would
be
beneficial to inform these further discussions.
4.
We also note that Wembley has around 8,000 staff working at the stadium during
event days, with a significant proportion of these staff using Wembley Park Station to get home at
night. The Station is having to keep staff on later to account for this, and
with the increased
event numbers (including the number of non-major events) this will increase.
This will need to be factored into the additional mitigation measures required.
5. An increase in events will also place additional pressure on the rail
infrastructure. TfL will need further details to understand any potential impact on our rail maintenance due
to the proposed increase in events.
6. Please could further information be provided on the following:
a. What days the additional events are planned to be held? It is important to
highlight that the night-tube is only available at the weekend
(Friday/Saturday).
b. It is noted that the applicant has indicated that they are looking for an
increase in the number of attendees which is classed as a non-major event. Please could
further detail for this increase be provided including assessment and justification/rationale in transport terms
and demonstrating that no adverse transport effects are likely.
c.
It has been indicated that the impact of the proposal on rail and London
Underground links has been undertaken using
Steer's demand forecasting model. Further information should be provided on
this model, including whether it
includes any outputs from TfL's models and takes into account the growth within
the Wembley area.
7. Please note that TfL would not be supportive of any events finishing after
23:00 Monday-Saturday or 22:00 on Sunday. After this time, services run down quicker, and finish earlier,
which will significantly impact on the ability to clear late night crowds.
8.
It is noted that the applicant has stated that the effect on bus routes is
considered to be negligible. This is not accepted. Could further information be provided on how this has been
determined.
9. It is expected that TfL are consulted through the monthly Wembley Stadium
Transport Operations Group Meeting (WSTOG).
TfL colleagues are open to meet to discuss this application and the above
comments in more detail.
To conclude, TfL is not objecting in principle to additional events and subject
to the applicant providing further information, to the proposed increased major event cap at the stadium. It
is, however, key that additional mitigation necessary to address the additional
pressures these events will have on the
public transport network, operational staff and visitors is secured through the
appropriate legal mechanism. Further discussion
with TfL on the necessary mitigation measures as set out above is essential prior
to the determination of this planning application.
QUINTAIN LTD
24/1329: Variation of Condition 1 (Event Cap) and Condition 2 (Temporary
Traffic Management) of Permission
reference 20/4197 to allow for 8 additional major stadium events per event
calendar year.
Thank you for consulting Quintain on the application submitted by Lichfields,
on behalf of Wembley National Stadium
Ltd (WNSL), which, inter alia, seeks to vary Condition 1 of the Wembley Stadium
planning permission (ref. 20/4197) to
increase the number of major stadium events that can take place during a
calendar year from 46 to 54 events.
Quintain is the largest landowner and developer in Wembley Park, owning
approximately 35 hectares of land around Wembley Stadium. Through our close working relationship
with Brent Council, and other key
stakeholders including WNSL, we have led the successful regeneration of Wembley Park over the past 20 years delivering
6,000 new homes, retail and commercial floorspace and significant public realm
improvements. The improvements delivered include the transformation of Olympic
Way with new hard and soft landscaping, lighting and security infrastructure
together with the demolition of the Pedway and construction of the new Olympic
Steps . These improvements, coupled with the creation of significant new
parking facilities, have greatly enhanced both the everyday and event day experience of
visitors to Wembley and helped Wembley Stadium maintain its standing as London's premier
sporting and music venue.
In view of our long-term working relationship with WNSL and Brent, which
ensures the impacts of major stadium
events are managed and mitigated, Quintain supports the proposed increase from
46 to 54 major stadium events in a calendar year, subject to the below conditions
being formally secured, should the application be approved :
1. The character and land uses around Wembley Park have changed significantly
since the
Stadium opened in 2007 and it is important that WNSL continue s to recognise
that their
events have an impact on the daily lives of residents and business, and they
should be
seeking to mitigate these as part of this application.
From reviewing the representations submitted by local residents, it is clear
that event day
management, and in particular stewarding and post-event cleaning, are areas of
significant
concern. Therefore, WNSL should commit to paying all the operational and
management
costs associated with the additional events and/or any event that exceeds the
existing caps
of 22 sporting events and 24 non -sporting events in a calendar year.
WNSL have highlighted the success of the triparty 'Best in Class' initiative
between WNSL,
Quintain and Brent, which currently manages the impacts of event days upon the
local area
and state this will be implemented for the additional events . Whilst we agree
that the 'Best
in Class' principles covering stewarding, parking enforcement, traffic
management, toilets
and street cleaning should apply to the additional events, the increased costs
associated with
delivering these should be borne wholly by WNSL.
2. To ensure residents' amenity is adequately protected, WNSL should commit to
the following restrictions on events:
? a cap on the maximum number of consecutive non -sporting events;
? a cap on the maximum number of non-sporting events per week; and
? a cap on the maximum number of weeks in any calendar year where the maximum
number of consecutive non -sporting events or maximum number of non-sporting
events in a week can be held.
The above conditions should be included in the S106 Agreement (Deed of Variation
) that WNSL indicate they are discussing with Brent Council (Page 29, Lichfields
' Planning Statement, 15 May 2024). As a participant in the Best in Class initiative,
and owner of land within the planning application boundary where many of these
measures will take place, Quintain would expect to be consulted on the Deed of
Variation before it is completed.
Finally, in addition to the above, we would also request that WNSL , TfL and
Brent work closely on mitigating the impact Stadium events have upon existing
bus routes and services to ensure residents are able to carry on their daily lives and
move around the area on event days with the minimum of disruption.
We request that the Council keep Quintain informed on the progress of the
application as it moves towards determination . Should the above conditions not
be secured, Quintain reserve the right to make further representations on the
application as appropriate.
CHILTERN RAILWAYS
On behalf of Chiltern Railways, who operate services to London, Birmingham and
Oxford via Wembley Stadium station we wanted to put on record our comments on
the application for up to 8 additional events to be held at Wembley Stadium
each year.
Leisure travel is an increasingly important and significant area of travel
demand on our routes. As the key mainline rail operator serving and operating
Wembley Stadium Station, we carry between 8 and 12% of customer flows for
Wembley events including major football fixtures and summer concerts.
Chiltern Railways have a constructive and ongoing dialogue with the FA and
Wembley National Stadium Limited (WNSL) as the stadium operator, with an
established and effective working relationship which supports the transport
planning for major events. We were especially pleased to receive the feedback
from both UEFA and The Football Association for our recent management of the
Champions League Final which included additional services, a charter service
for UEFA dignitaries and enhanced arrangements for spectators who required
special assistance on their journeys to the stadium.
We recognise that the uplift in the event cap is necessary for commercial
reasons, and that as a consequence the actual level of additional travel demand
which may arise could be less than the revised event cap allows. We also
recognise and are supportive of the positive impact that events at Wembley have
on the local and wider economy.
However, Chiltern Railways does not currently have enough available rolling
stock and associated colleagues to fully deliver the existing Wembley events
programme and maintain our current published timetable. It is often necessary
therefore for Chiltern Railways to remove services from other parts of our
network to deliver enough capacity to safely serve Wembley Stadium. Recent
examples include the Champions League Final on the 1 June 2024 and the League
One Play Off Final on Saturday 18 May 2024. This results in an ongoing negative
impact on Chiltern Railways reputation and impacts our regular customer and
stakeholder relationships on other routes. We have also had to take the difficult
decision not to serve Wembley events where they coincide with other events on
the network which require additional rolling stock and colleagues, for example
where engineering works close the West Coast Mainline and we are the only
operator of services between Birmingham and London. It should, however, be
noted that a number of recent events have taken place without additional
Chiltern Railways services, and without significant disruption.
Chiltern Railways are working with the Department for Transport to acquire
replacement and additional rolling stock for the Chiltern Mainline which would
support the service delivery demands of additional Wembley events in the
future, but in the meantime travel demand may need to be managed on an
event-by-event basis.
If the event cap is extended by a further 8 events Chiltern Railways will
continue to assess each event on an individual basis and collaborate with the
stadium and other transport operators (including Transport for London) through
our established channels and arrangements to support service delivery and
accommodate the shared travel demands arising.
We will continue to work closely with the stadium operator as these plans are
developed and delivered and welcome their support for our rolling stock proposals.
