LETTER: Wembley Stadium is a money grabbing monster sucking the life out of our community

 Dear Editor,

Our family has lived near Wembley Stadium since the late 1950s and it's now unbearable compared to how it used to be!!!

Wembley residents are now treated like second class citizens!!!

We can't get home from work on event days because trains are packed and buses are diverted or don't run at all or are stuck in endless traffic jams - how do the elderly, the disabled or those visiting relatives in local hospitals cope???

We can't have visitors on event days because the trains are packed, buses are diverted or don't run at all or are stuck in endless traffic jams and local pubs and restaurants are full or charging more for limited option event day menus. Some of the pubs near the stadium now even charge you £20 entry fee on event days.

We can't even sit in our gardens in the summer because we have helicopters circling overhead for HOURS on event days!!!

Also we volunteer with lots of local groups and you can't plan vital fund raising events, many of which need major advance organisation and publicity, because of late notice of event days and the parking restrictions and bus diversions.

The current cap on the number of major Wembley Stadium events should not be increased!!!

We used to be proud to live near 'Wembley Stadium' but this new Wembley Stadium is just a money grabbing monster sucking the life out of our community here in Wembley.

Anon.

 

Note: This letter was first submitted as a comment on the previous article about the proposal and is reproduced as a letter with the permission of the author. As with all letters publication does not indicate agreement with its content but for discussion of the issues raised.

Wembley Stadium to bid for an increase in the number of non-sporting events held at the venue

 

 Ed Sheeran at Wembley Stadium

The impact of Wembey Stadium on the local community has always been controversial. On the one hand complainants are told, 'There has been a stadium here for more than a hundred years. Why live near a stadium if you are going to complain about it?' to, 'We are imprisoned in our homes on Event Days and the number keeps increasing.'  Views vary from, 'The stadium brings in money for the local economy and puts Wembley on the map', to 'We have to pay for clearing up all the litter, put up with public urination and disruption of public transport.'

So the news that Wembley Stadium is seeking to apply to Brent Planning Committe to increase the cap on the number of non-sporting events from 46 to 54 is likely to reignite debate.

In a circular to residents Wembley Stadium says:

Wembley Stadium is looking to adjust the annual stadium event cap to provide more flexibility to attract additional non-sporting major events.

The current permission of 46 events per year limits the number of dates Wembley Stadium can offer to non-sports acts or events. Increasing the cap to 54 major events per year would provide increased flexibility to attract major international acts to the stadium.

The application will retain a cap on the number of major sporting events to no more than 25 per annum, with a minor variation to the definition of a major event as a stadium bowl event with a capacity in excess of 60,000 people.

A planning application will be submitted to Brent Council shortly. Full details of the application will be available for viewing on Brent’s planning portal in the coming weeks.

If you have any initial comments or queries about the proposal, please let us know by submitting your response HERE before 1 pm on Wednesday 21st February.

We will also be holding a drop-in session for more information from 6 pm on Thursday 22nd February in Wembley Stadium’s Club Wembley Main Reception. Please come along for more information and a chance to discuss this in person.

Meanwhile Brent Council's 'Healthy Streets and Parking Resident Services' is asking for the views of councillors (not the public) on Event Day Traffic Management Orders

In order to accommodate events and games being held at the stadium, it is proposed to add dates for the 2024 calendar year to the existing Wembley Stadium Event Day Traffic Management Orders which have been made and are currently enforced.

 

We need to prepare for the eventuality for all of these dates to be included within our Traffic Management Orders even though on some dates no event will take place. This is mainly due to the fact that the dates cannot precisely be identified with certainty yet, at the time of this proposal.

 

Please note that on the date that enforcement will take place, signs will display the restrictions that are in place.

 

The proposed events are planned on the following dates, inclusive of the South Way two-way traffic flow:-

 

25th February 2024,

23rd and 26th March 2024,

7th, 20th and 21st April 2024,

4th, 5th, 11th, 12th, 18th, 19th, 25th and 26th May 2024,

1st, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 15th, 16th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 29th June 2024,

3rd, 7th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 25th, 27th, and 31st July 2024,

1st, 2nd, 3rd, 10th, 11th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 19th, 20th and 25th August 2024,

2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 28th and 29th September 2024,

5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th and 27th October 2024,

2nd, 3rd, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th and 30th November 2024,

1st, 2nd and 3rd December 2024.

 

'Aspiration' that the 206 bus could serve Wembley on Event Days if talks with TfL succeed and funding is available

 

Wembley Park residents, and in particular those on the Kings Drive Estate (including Pilgrims Way, Summers Close and Saltcroft Close), have long been frustrated on Wembley Event Days when the route is curtailed at Tesco, Brent Park. 

Passengers, not realising there was an event, have been stranded at Brent Park, while others wait in vain at The Paddocks bus stop near Fryent Country Park for a bus that is not running. The route stops for several hours before and after the event and when there are consecutive concerts the route may be unavailable for much of the time over several days.

As the estate is on a steep hill this means that elderly or less mobile residents are cut off.

 

The Paddocks Terminus at the Salmon Street/Fryent Way roundabout

 

When plans were discussed over the rejoining of North End Road to Bridge Road  in Wembley Park, we were promised that buses could skirt around the stadium area and continue to The Paddocks terminus.

Now, as a result of a Member's Inquiry by Cllr Robert Johnson I can report that some belated progress has been made:

[Brent Council] are currently in discussions to re-locate the bus stand from First Way to Great Central Way. Subject to approval, the aspiration is to re-route the bus 206 to Great Central Way,  Fourth Way, Fulton Road, Albion Road and into North End Road. This is all dependent on TfL approval. TfL have advised they will consult on the proposed re-routing early January 2023 and post their consultation and approval, Brent Council will consult formally on the proposal, subject to funding and approval. 

 

It would then serve The Paddocks even on Event Days.

 

 

 

 

HELP! Wembley Stadium has stolen our bus

Residents of the Pilgrims Way/Kings Drive Estate have been deprived of their local bus, the 206, on Wembley Staium events days which have increased since Tottenham Hotspur took over the stadium for their home games.

The 206 which starts and terminates at The Paddocks on the Salmon Street/Fryent Way roundabout is turned around at Brent Park Tesco on event days.

Residents are puzzled as to why it is necessary to curtail the service from 8am when events start at 2.30 or 3pm.

The estate has many elderly residents who rely on their local bus and their freedom of movement is now regularly restricted at weekends. Users of Fryent Country Park are often to be found vainly waiting for a bus at weekend at The Paddocks and have to be told that they are not running.

Some long-standing residents have told me that TfL received a subsidy for the 206's predecessor, the PR2, especially to serve the estate.

Transport for London have been contacted for a comment.

More residents associations oppose Spur's Wembley Stadium application

Wembley Park Residents' Association is oppposing the Spur's planning application to increase the number of full capacity events at Wembley Stadium. This is noteworthy as it covers many residents of flats recently built in the Quintain regeneration areas around the stadium.

Residents in Kings Drive, Wembley (next to the old Brent Town Hall) have added their voice to the objections:

Objection on behalf of Kings and Carmel Courts Residents' Association (170 Flats on Kings Drive Wembley)

Kings and Carmel Courts Resents' Association object to the planning application 17/0368 on the following grounds:

1) Parking: Kings Drive is in the Event Day Parking Zone and whilst the permits required to park in the road limit the cars parked on event days it is becoming apparent that more cars have permits during recent events. The number of cars parking is steadily increasing and the application does not address this important issue which impacts on the daily lives of those living on Kings Drive. Consideration should be given to permits having an expiry date and residents having to reapply to ensure that those parking are doing so on a valid permit. The cost of this must not be passed on to the local residents and should be borne by the Stadium or Council.

Kings Drive is already used for daily commuter parking, the new local schools and ASDA shoppers which impacts heavily on residents who wish to park close to their home. Event Day parking used to weed out these users allowing residents to park easily but this is no longer the case.

2) Anti-social behaviour: Kings and Carmel Courts have extensive gardens adjoining the corner of Forty Lane with Kings Drive. Fans use these private grounds to throw litter, picnic, drink and urinate in. This is unacceptable behaviour and furthermore the Leaseholders of Kings and Carmel Court then have to pay for the clean-up operation after event days. This is particularly bad when rival teams are playing against each other and customers from the Torch and local supermarkets selling alcoholic drinks sit along the walls and grass banks on Kings Court.

The planning application does nothing to address the disruption to local people yet it seeks to impose further disturbance and expense to residents.

Residents need to be protected from the invasion of drunk fans who have little care for other peoples' property and the Stadium/Council need to take responsibility protecting private property from trespassers and cover the cost of all associated cleaning.

Please note that Kings and Carmel Courts Residents' Association is known to Brent Council however it was not consulted on this proposal.

We are happy to meet with the Council or Stadium to suggest ways in which Event Days can be managed in an acceptable way to the residents of Kings and Carmel Courts.

Wembley Stadium events consultation deadline extended to March 9th

Brent Council appear to be trawling through submissions on their Planning Portal to correct those clearly against the Wembley Stadium increase in event days and removal of capacity cap, but that have been classifed by the software as 'Neutral'. LINK

There are now 108 on-line submissions.

Many residents have encountered problems posting their comments on line (This is the LINK).  The deadline has now been extended to March 9th, 2016.

As an alternative comments can be sent by email  to alice.lester@brent.gov.uk quoting 'Comment on 17/0368'. Remember to state clearly your position (Support/Object/Neutral) on proposed variation of Condition 3 and removal of Condition 33. Postal comments can be sent to Alice Lester, Planning Department, Brent Civic Centre, Engineers Way, HA9 0FJ.

Details from the Planning Application:

 CONDITION 3 OF THE WEMBLEY STADIUM PLANNING CONSENT – THE CURRENT EVENT CAP

This condition restricts the number of full capacity events (up to 90,000 people) held at the stadium each year to 37 until certain transport improvements* have been completed. There is no restriction on the number of events that can be held that only use the lower and middle tier of the stadium (up to a capacity of  approximately 51,000). The current restriction allows 22 sporting events and 15 non-sporting events (although 3 additional sporting events can be held provided the number of non-sporting events is reduced by2 for each additional sporting event).

* This restriction falls away once certain public transport and highway works are completed.Most of the works have been completed, including an increase in the capacity of Wembley Park Station and significant road improvements within the Wembley Industrial Estate. However, the upgrading of one element of road within the industrial estate required the purchase of a significant amount of land and this was not completed.

PROPOSED VARIATION OF CONDITION 3 – THE PROPOSED CHANGE TO THE EVENT CAP

The applicant proposes that this condition is varied to allow up to 31 additional full capacity major Tottenham Hotspur Football Club sporting events between 1 August 2017 and 31 July 2018 (events with a capacity of between 51,000 and 90,000 people).

(NOTE: These additional events could take place without any variation to the planning consent, under the existing cap, where capacity would be limited to up to a maximum of approximately 51,000 people).

PROPOSED REMOVAL OF CONDITION 33

Condition 33 restricts the number of times that traffic management measures can be implemented each year, with specific reference to North Circular Road traffic flow. The applicant proposes that this condition is removed, specifying that TfL consider the traffic management measures to have a positive impact on trafficflow within the North Circular Road.