New Inquiry starts this month

Last updated : 03 September 2004 By Bob Gear

The Press release from the Club follows:

Provisional dates and details as to the re-opening of the Public Inquiry into Brighton & Hove Albion's proposed new stadium have now been finalised between the football club, Brighton & Hove City Council and the Planning Inspectorate.

A pre-enquiry meeting is planned for the end of this month; submissions from interested parties, including Albion and the city council, will have to be lodged with the Planning Inspectorate by mid-November; then after the necessary six-week consultation period following submissions, the first available date for the Inquiry to re-open is 11th January 2005.

Albion Chief Executive Martin Perry said, "It's what we expected: around four months for the Inquiry process. We hope this will be the final leg of what is a long and drawn out process. This timetable gives us sufficient
time to prepare all the information we need to present our case. Importantly it means we should have a decision before the next General Election."

The reason for the re-opening of the enquiry is that the planning inspector of the original public inquiry, held between 18 February and 23 October 2003, recommended that permission should be refused.

However, while that Inspector's report was under consideration by the Secretary of State, John Prescott, another Inspector's Report - on the draft Brighton and Hove Local Plan - was published and recommended that the site near Falmer was not appropriate for a Stadium.

In light of this, John Prescott's office invited further representations, and as part of this process the applicants sent him detailed information on the availability of alternative sites for the stadium discussed at the planning inquiry.

Having considered these representations, the Secretary of State concluded that he should seek further evidence concerning the availability or otherwise of alternative sites and that the most effective way of obtaining this evidence is to re-open the public inquiry.

Supporters of The Stadium plan put forward the argument that this is a good sign. That Prescott would not re-open the enquiry to look at other Sites unless he had been convinced of the need for a Stadium.

The only thing left, therefore for Mr Prescott to decide is whether Village Way North is the only suitable site for a community stadium in Brighton & Hove.

If so, expect a Yes decision before the end of the season.