Agenda item
20/4197 - Wembley National Stadium, Olympic Way, Wembley, HA9 0WS
Decision:
Granted planning permission subject to the completion of a satisfactory deed of variation to the existing Section 106 legal agreement, particularly in relation to the Wembley Stadium Employment and Skills Plan and a consecutive event cap (maximum of 4 non sporting events), and conditions and informatives as set out in the report.
Minutes:
PROPOSAL:
Proposed variation of Condition 1 (event cap) of planning permission reference 18/4307 (varied permission for the construction of the stadium, dated 07/03/2019), to allow up to 9 additional major non-sporting events per event calendar year.
Planning permission 99/2400 was for the demolition of the original Wembley
Stadium and clearance of the site to provide a 90,000-seat sports and entertainment stadium (Use Class D2), office accommodation (Use Class B1), banqueting/conference facilities (Use Class D2), ancillary facilities including catering, restaurant (Use Class A3), retail, kiosks (Use Class A1), toilets and servicing space; re-grading of existing levels within the application site and removal of trees, alteration of existing and provision of new access points (pedestrian and vehicular), and parking for up to 458 coaches, 43 mini-buses and
1,200 cars or 2,900 cars (or combination thereof).
Application reference 17/0368 granted permission to vary condition 3 (event cap) of consent 99/2400 to allow 22 additional major Tottenham Hotspur Football Club events in between 1 August 2017 and 31 July 2018.
Application reference 18/4307 granted permission to vary conditions 1 (event cap) and 2 (temporary traffic measures) of planning permission reference 17/0368 to allow 8 additional Major Tottenham Hotspur Football Club (THFC) events to May 2019.
The current application includes the submission of an Environmental Statement.
RECOMMENDATION:
Resolve to grant planning permission, subject to the completion of a satisfactory deed of variation to the existing Section 106 legal agreement as set out in the report.
That the Head of Planning is delegated authority to issue the planning permission and impose conditions and informatives as set out in in the report.
That the Head of Planning is delegated authority to make changes to the wording of the committee’s decision (such as to delete, vary or add conditions, informatives) prior to the decision being actioned, provided that the Head of Planning is satisfied that any such changes could not reasonably be regarded as deviating from the overall principle of the decision reached by the committee nor that such change(s) could reasonably have led to a different decision having been reached by the Committee.
Hilary Seaton, Principal Planning Officer introduced the report, set out the key issues and answered members’ questions. The Principal Planning Officer clarified that the proposed designated pick up and drop off area could be within an area other than the green car park if deemed suitable by the local authority and relevant stakeholders. She also highlighted the significant infrastructure works that had been carried out since the original stadium consent including two-way working in the area to the east of the stadium and the opening of a link between the western end of North End Road and Bridge Road to provide an east-west route past the stadium. She advised that an additional representation had been received since the publication of the main report which related to issues already addressed in the report.
Chris Bryant, the applicant, then addressed the Committee on several matters including:
· The current event cap on full capacity events made it difficult to provide the level of flexibility required to respond to commercial demand and limited the ability of the stadium to compete with other venues.
· The permanent variation sought would allow for up to nine additional non-sporting events per season. These would be in addition to the 22 full capacity sporting and 15 non-sporting events currently allowed.
· The proposals would bring economic benefits to the local area. An independent survey had indicated that each concert generated £3.2 million for the local economy and every additional event created job opportunities for local people.
· A comprehensive set of mitigation measures were proposed including support for local employment and training, payments for supporting services and transport initiatives.
In response to questions from members, Chris Bryant made the following points:
· The FA paid the London Living Wage to all full-time staff and was committed to extending this to include event day temporary staff before the end of the 2021/22 season. The budget for this commitment had been allocated and ring-fenced.
· There was currently no intention to hold concerts on more than four consecutive nights and, if deemed necessary, the Wembley National Stadium Limited (WNSL) would be content with a condition to secure this.
· While the application would allow for a variety of non-sporting events, they would most likely be music concerts.
· It was possible to stage concurrent Wembley Stadium and SSE Arena events and when this does occur the relevant stakeholders work together to ensure that suitable arrangements are in place for both venues.
· The FA was committed to tackling abuse within the stadium. The ‘Blow the Whistle’ campaign encouraged spectators and staff to raise their concerns anonymously and ensured appropriate action was taken and, in some cases, prosecution. Safeguarding Officers had recently been appointed who work alongside external partners to ensure the safety of those in attendance.
· Events were published on the Wembley Stadium and Brent Council websites and through stadium factsheets and the Brent Magazine. In addition, there was signage on the stadium itself and within the locality.
· A number of mitigation measures were proposed to reduce the number of vehicles on event days. These included additional parking enforcement capacity and the promotion of sustainable travel patterns. The Trusted Parking Scheme aimed to ensure authorised car parks were run in a way that would limit their impact on neighbouring residents and reduce local congestion, whilst the Private Hire Management Scheme would reduce the number of vehicles in the area around the stadium after events have finished.
· The FA were committed to reducing carbon emissions within the stadium’s vicinity. It was committed to event sustainability management and promoting sustainable travel.
In the ensuing discussion, members raised several issues including employment and skills, parking, traffic congestion, safeguarding and anti-social behaviour and the impact on neighbouring amenity. Officers then clarified a number of key points including:
· An Employment and Skills Plan would be included within the deed of variation to the existing s106 agreement. This would set out how WNSL would work with the Council and Brent Works to maximise employment opportunities and enhance employability skills for residents with the aim of maximising the opportunity to enter into apprenticeships and training programmes.
· WNSL did not intend to hold concerts on more than four consecutive nights and, should members wish to do so, this arrangement could be secured through condition. It would be difficult, however, to justify a condition restricting the specific days of the week that these may be held.
· WNSL stated that it continued to liaise with central government and the Council regarding the safe return of spectators and would continue to follow all guidelines and restrictions in agreement with Brent Council, Metropolitan Police, Transport for London and other key stakeholders.
· The applicant was required to make financial contributions through the s106 agreement to apply the proposed additional mitigations should the application be granted.
· The Wembley Park estate operated under a Public Space Protection Order which prohibited various elements of antisocial behaviour in the area. Civil Enforcement Officers were able to move offenders on and charge them with a penalty charge notice. Each event was subject to scrutiny from the Stadium Safety Advisory Group, which comprised of key stakeholders including the Council and Metropolitan Police and worked to mitigate event risks.
· The Trusted Parking Scheme sought to address the issues that non-regulated car parks create on event days in relation to highway congestion, noise and pedestrian safety. The scheme had been designed to encourage compliance from car park operators.
· The Private Hire Management Scheme proposed to mitigate the impact of taxi and Uber drivers in the area by working on a designated pick up and drop off point within an area deemed appropriate by the local authority and relevant stakeholders. This change would benefit local residents as congestion would be mitigated.
With no further issues raised and having established that all members had followed the discussions, the Chair thanked all speakers for their contributions and asked members to vote on the recommendation.
DECISION: Granted planning permission subject to the completion of a satisfactory deed of variation to the existing Section 106 legal agreement, including securing a Wembley Stadium Employment and Skills Plan and a new condition to ensure that major events are held on no more than four consecutive days, and conditions and informatives as set out in the report.
(Voting on the recommendation as amended was as follows: For 8, Against 0)
Supporting documents: