Local details for Sunday's Women's FA Cup Final

 From Brent Council

We want everyone to enjoy their visit to Wembley and the match. However we will not tolerate anti-social behaviour, so please behave responsibly.

Brent Council and its partners are enforcing a No Street Drinking Zone on Olympic Way and the surrounding area for The Vitality Woman's FA Cup Final on Sunday, 14 May 2023 between Chelsea v Manchester United - Kick off 14:30

This is part of the current Public Space Protection Order.

Drink responsibly

Fans drinking on Olympic Way and the surrounding streets will be asked to hand over their alcohol and enforcement action may be considered.  We are taking these steps to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for everyone.

There is a range of bars, fan zones and restaurants available  in and around Wembley where you can enjoy a meal or drink before the match. We have listed details of some of these venues below, including which ones are hosting which fans, if applicable. Please book early to avoid disappointment.

Venue	Address	Phone number
Box Park	18 Olympic Way, Wembley Park, HA9 0JT
The Green Man	Dagmar Avenue, Wembley, HA9 8DF	0208 9031441  07595 051937
Crystals (Sports Bar & Aqua Lounge)	1 Popin Building, Southway, HA9 0HB	02035765765 07985 195277
The Arch	324 Harrow Rd, Wembley , HA9 6LL	0208 1271141
Station 31	299-303 Harrow Rd, Wembley, HA9 6BD	0208 9000173
The Liquor Station	397A High Rd, Wembley, HA9 6AA	020 8903 0159
JJ Moons	397 High Rd, Wembley, HA9 6AA	020 8903 4923
La Regina	St George's Hotel, 43-51 Wembley Hill Rd, Wembley, HA9 8AU	020 8900 0662
Black Sheep	2 Olympic Way, Wembley Park, HA9 0GU
The White Horse	4 Wembley Park Blvd, Wembley Park, HA9 0HP
The Blue Check	12 -13 Empire Way, Wembley, HA9 0RQ	020 8902 8147
Wembley Tavern	121 Wembley Park Dr, Wembley Park, HA9 8HG	07956 849648 020 8903 2955
Stadium Sports Bar	125 Wembley Park Dr, Wembley Park, HA9 8HQ	07503 000 096
The Torch	1-5 Bridge Rd, Wembley Park, HA9 9AB	02089045794
Crock of Gold	23 Bridge Road, Wembley, HA9 9AB	020 8908 6933
Swan Pub	789 Harrow Road, Wembley, HA0 2LP	020 8904 6933
Arena Lounge	652 Harrow Road, Wembley, HA0 2HA	020 8248 1280 07857820000
The Barrel & Corner	610-612 High Rd, Wembley HA0 2AF	020 8900 2947
Trader Wembley	87 Ealing Road, Wembley, HA0 4BD	07411 118183
TGI Friday	1 Wembley Park Boulevard, Wembley Park, HA9 0TG
Pasta Remoli	10 Exhibition Way, Wembley Park, HA9 0FU
Masalchi by Atul Kochar	2 Wembley Park Blvd, Wembley Park, HA9 0HP
Bread Ahead	26-28 Olympic Way, Wembley Park, HA9 0NP
Frankie & Benny's	London Designer Outlet, Wembley Park Blvd, Wembley, HA9 0FD
JRC Global Buffet	London Designer Outlet, Wembley Park Blvd, Wembley, HA9 0FD
Las Iguanas	London Designer Outlet, Wembley Park Blvd, Wembley, HA9 0FD
Wagamama	London Designer Outlet, Wembley Park Blvd, Wembley, HA9 0FD
Pizza Express	London Designer Outlet, Wembley Park Blvd, Wembley, HA9 0FD
Zizzi	London Designer Outlet, Wembley Park Blvd, Wembley, HA9 0FD
Nando's	London Designer Outlet, Wembley Park Blvd, Wembley, HA9 0FD
Byron Burger	London Designer Outlet, Wembley Park Blvd, Wembley, HA9 0FD
Big Moe's	London Designer Outlet, Wembley Park Blvd, Wembley, HA9 0FD

Visit the London Designer Outlet website for more information on many of the restaurants listed above.

Travelling to Wembley

Wembley has great public transport connections, and as a borough we are working hard to keep our carbon footprint down. If you come to this event by car, we ask that you only use official stadium car parks. 

If you are travelling to Wembley by public transport, the Drinkaware website has some useful advice on drinking alcohol in public places. There may also be alcohol restrictions on coach services so please check before you travel.

Barn Hill Residents comprehensively oppose Wembley Stadium planning application

This is the submission made by the Chair of Barn Hill Residents Association (BHRA) to the Planning Department on the Spurs bid  to hold more events and lift the capacity cap at Wembley Stadium:

Planning Application ref: 17/0368

Wembley Stadium

We wish to make the following comments on this Application:

Proposed variation of Condition 3

Condition 3 of the original Wembley Stadium Planning Consent has not yet been fully complied with.  This Condition restricts the number of full capacity events at the Stadium until various transport improvements have been put in place. These include the upgrade of one section of road within the Wembley Industrial Estate which requires the purchase of a significant amount of land. This purchase has not yet taken place, despite Wembley Stadium having given Brent Council millions of pounds to facilitate these works.

We believe that until such time as these works are completed in their entirety, this Application should be refused.

It is not at all clear why the Stadium feels the need to increase the number of full capacity Event Days. There is no restriction on the number of events using only the lower and middle tiers of the Stadium which can accommodate up to a total of 51,000 spectators. 

The pretext for increasing the number of Event Days is that Tottenham Hotspur will be using the Stadium from 1^st August 2017 until 31^st July 2018 while their own stadium is being rebuilt.

However, Tottenham’s current average home attendance of 36,824 falls well short of the capacity figure of 51,000 for normal Event Days. The 31 additional planned events could therefore go ahead without any variation to the existing planning consent.

Although this proposal purports to be a temporary arrangement to accommodate Tottenham, we strongly suspect that, if approved, it would pave the way for Chelsea Football Club to use the

Stadium for a further three years while their stadium is also being rebuilt.

Proposed removal of Condition 33

We do not agree with the lifting of this Condition as we believe that many fans of Tottenham will travel to Wembley via the North Circular Road despite it already being heavily used and subject to constant traffic jams.

Other issues

We believe that Brent Council is not fully taking into account the detrimental impact that approving this Application would have on the local environment and residents. Even without any increase in the frequency of matches and the numbers of spectators, it is evident that Police resources are totally inadequate when it comes to enforcing the law on match days. 

In flagrant disregard of the regulations in the local Controlled Drinking Zone, there is widespread and excessive consumption of alcohol in the streets, especially when large numbers of fans are turned out of the local hostelries one hour before kick-off, while Police officers look on, apparently powerless to act.

This inevitably leads to the public nuisance of widespread urination not just in the streets but also in residents’ gardens, or even behind the Civic Centre.

The other unwelcome by-product of match days is the sea of litter left behind in the streets.  Fans discard food packaging with impunity, an offence which in other circumstances might attract a fine of £80. Sadly, Veolia (Brent Council’s contractor) are failing to maintain their previous standards of rubbish collection.   

This is to say nothing of the massive disruption suffered by local residents in many other ways on Event Days, what with overcrowded buses and trains making normal travel by public transport very difficult, and parking restrictions inconveniencing family and social events in residents’ own homes. 

Any increase in Event Days would seriously impact the right of residents to the quiet and peaceful enjoyment of their properties.  In addition, other local activities would increasingly have to be curtailed at short notice, with venues such as church halls suffering a serious loss of income.

I believe that, before attracting ever larger crowds to Wembley on match days, measures should be taken to alleviate existing problems, whether that involves a large increase in Police resources or perhaps the Council reviewing the licences of local pubs.

Local residents suspect that designating many more match days as full Event Days when this is not warranted by the likely numbers attending, is a kind of 'Trojan Horse' strategy to increase the full Event Days to 68 on a long-term basis, to continue long after Chelsea and Tottenham have returned to their rebuilt stadiums.

If, as we have been told, the local Police already have insufficient resources to enforce the widely-flouted ban on drinking in the streets around the Stadium, what hope is there that they would be able to cope with extra Event Days?

Even if there were to be no increase in Event Days, we strongly believe that extra Policing is essential and suggest that the costs should be borne jointly by Wembley Stadium and the clubs involved.

For the reasons given above, we strongly object to this Application.

Petition launched opposing Spurs & Chelsea home games at Wembley

A petition has been launched asking Brent Council to reconsider the use of Wembley Stadium for Spurs and Chelsea home games. (The FA/Spurs are presently consulting on this See LINK)

The petition is HERE and wording below:

We the undersigned petition the council to reconsider the use of Wembley Statium for Tottenham Hotspur home matches and for Chelsea home matches for the Champions League and Premier League

Wembley National Stadiium is a stadium of national importance and as such is designated for matches organised by the Football Association for matches of national importance and also for finals of league cups etc. These matches are very frequent in the spring and summer each year. The residents around the area understand and accept this use of Wembley Stadium for such matches.

The use of the Wembley National Stadium for club matches for the above mentioned clubs mean that for then next few years at least 30 additional matches will be played in the Wembley Stadium for the above mentioned clubs. This will put extreme pressure on public services around the Wembley Stadium area. The roads will be blocked due to the excessive traffic. Access to schools and post school activities for children will be hampered. Elderly people will be especially at risk due to the huge amount of traffic around the stadium area. The traffic will also put emergency access at risk the roads will be absolutely blocked.

Additionally, the football fans will descend on Wembley for 30 additional days in a year. While not demonizing football fans in general, some sections of the football fans cause immense damage to property and intimidate local residents.

As a national stadium, these club level matches are not acceptable.

Started by: Vishal Sinha

This ePetition runs from 30/01/2017 to 13/03/2017.

Brent getting a poor deal in Spur's Wembley Stadium deal, claims councillor

Tottenham Hotspur's win against CSKA Moscow last Wednesday may have done something to allay fans' doubts about the move to Wembley but Cllr John  Duffy has voiced doubts about the Council's capacity to achieve benefits to Brent residents.

In an email to all Brent councillors Cllr Duffy said:

To All Brent Councillors,

I am very concerned that the Wembley Stadium and Spurs planning application is being guided and manipulated by both officers and Cabinet members.It would seem they seek a solution, that will not fully benefit Brent residents . 

All Councillors are independent on this issue and Councillors should not be influenced by either Cabinet members or officers on a pre-agreed application and should seek to ensure and maximise the benefits for Brent.

Firstly you have to consider does Brent want Wembley stadium to be a home ground for a Premier League Club and do not we want the extra congestion, nuisance and general disruption. Unless we get real investment  from the FA, Premier League and Spurs, I believe the answer is NO.

It is clear that the Cabinet are unaware of the potential of ensuring the investment to alleviate the problems caused by Wembley hosting Spurs and have not negotiated a reasonable deal for the residents…..I am tired of Brent residents being short changed, therefore I  believe Councillors should oppose the application as it stands.

Please find an edited email I previously sent to the Labour Group, which outlined my concerns about the planning application and the lack of benefits for Brent.

The earlier email, sent only to the Labour Group of councillors, said:

Dear All,

As it is 99% definite,Tottenham Hotspur will be moving to Wembley and its also likely that Chelsea (they may go to Twickenham) will moving in the following year.Its time we sorted out a strategy to protect and improve our Environment, Sports Education , parking ,community and employment strategy, together with compensation for Brent  residents.

As Chair of planning when we knocked down the old Wembley stadium and a member of the Task force for Wembley Stadium regeneration I have seen negotiations close up with the FA and they will be tough and we need a clear strategy.

From memory Wembley were allowed 22 sporting advents and they were no envisaged to be the home venue for any football club.Therefore at this point I would advise not to accept a season long deal but to treat every game as an FA cup Final and expect resources to reflect this. There Are many safeguards we  need for residents.I will outline the basics without the detail.

(1) Environmental improvement. 
I would expect extra resources ( too many options to go into) plus investment into plant. I have not looked at other Boroughs but I am aware of some who get a massively enhanced service for match day.
(2) Parking. 
Increased protection/enforcement of the neighbouring area. 
(3) Sports Education.
Ensure Investment in equipment and sports teaching in our schools including visits from football stars. Its important both the FA and Premier League show their commitment to grass roots football.
(4) Community Support .
Financial support for community activities,including , local R/As ,St Patricks day,Eid and Navratri and maybe support for local group who participate in the Notting Hill Carnival.
(5) Employment strategy.
Ensure that Brent residents get their fair share of any new jobs/ training arising from  the extra games. Also local firms should get a fair share of the increased supply chain for contracts 
(6) Compensation for local Business and residents.
Whereas the some business will benefit many other will lose (who would travel to Wembley to shop on a match day) so its important we look at high street improvements. The new games coming to Wembley will not only be on a Saturday they will included Sundays and weekdays at various kick off times.

There are many ways to negotiate and you should not look at only the time the football club is there, you should seek a 2/3 year deal on things like sports education and community support.I think you should have a local councillor on the negotiations ( seems unlikely as the leadership reject a task force for Kilburn Regeneration and now all decisions are made by the Lead member ) so local input will be represented.In my opinion we should not over engage in the - presentations- Vol-au-Vents  and vanity projects system which some members of the Cabinet prefer. We should also not going in asking for jobs at LLW ( getting employers to pay LLW is a failure ) we should be looking better jobs in supervision and management training. Finally do not over rely on Officers who will seek a deal that suits them as administrators. 

It would seem that some of the cabinet wish to treat the FA, the Premier League and Tottenham Hotspur  as " partners" whereas I see them them as people who wish to make a lot of money while using the facilities of  Brent which I have no problem with. However I believe this should be reflected in how we support our residents.So hopefully the cabinet have an agreed strategy about what we need from the richest sport in the world and the most famous football venue in the world.
    And Brent should not be short changed for all the inconvenience  

Look out for lost Liverpool supporters this weekend

It looks as if we will be seeing lots of coaches in Wembley on Saturday for the FA Cup Final or lots of lost Liverpool fans trying to find their way home after this statement from the British Transport Police:

Virgin Trains is warning Liverpool football fans that there are no realistic options for return train travel from London after the FA Cup Final on Saturday 5 May. 

Major route improvement works by Network Rail over the Bank Holiday weekend will mean extensive route closures.

Passengers from Liverpool to London on Saturday 5 May will need to travel via Manchester or Chester, or use Stoke-on-Trent station but the decision by the Football Association for a 17:15 kick-off means there are no options for fans to return north the same day after the game.

With the route out of London closed on Sunday 6 May, the earliest that fans could return to Liverpool would be on Monday 7 May.

A Virgin Trains spokesman said: "We always try and help football fans get to and from matches on our network, and did this very successfully for Everton and Liverpool supporters travelling to the semi-final. However, on this occasion, as we explained to the FA, the choice of both a 17:15 kick off and the staging of the FA Cup Final on a Bank Holiday weekend when Network Rail had already planned essential route improvement works means we cannot offer fans the level of train service they have come to expect."

There appear to have been no advance warning to fans from the police, Brent Council,  the FA or Wembley Stadium about the street drinking ban as there was for the the semi-finals. On that occasion the police turned a blind eye to the public drinking but the late kick off on Saturday gives more than 4 hours extra drinking time compared with that much earlier kick off.