As soon as the Trust Board learned in March that Peterborough United Holdings Limited had submitted a planning application to build a new stand at the Moy's End and 135 flats on the Moy's End car park, it became clear for the first time that PUHL had been active for some time in the process of realising the asset it had acquired in 2003. It was also obvious that, apart from a new stand, the football club would never obtain any benefit from the residential development, unless the Trust made a stand on behalf of Posh supporters and the club itself.
In the last few months we have lobbied the local and national press, had meetings with city councillors, planning officers and experts to formulate our policy and make our submissions to the planning committee. We thank PISA2000 and the many individual fans who, as a result of our campaign, have written to the press or their councillor to express their support for our ideas. Our final submission, a document consolidating all our arguments, is reproduced below.
We have also written to Peterborough United, enclosing a copy of our submission, and asking them to support the stance that we have taken on its behalf.
The planning committee meeting has been postponed twice and a new date has yet to be decided. When it does take place, the Trust will be there to monitor the meeting and make a presentation on behalf of Posh supporters.
THE MOY'S END REDEVELOPMENT:
TRUST SUBMISSION TO PLANNING COMMITTEE
PLANNING APPLICATION REF: 06/00333/OUT: DEMOLITION OF
FOOTBALL STAND, ERECTION OF NEW STAND AND RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT AT PETERBOROUGH UNITED FC
Introduction
The Trust is in favour of the building of a new stand and flats at Moy's End, but strongly recommends that Peterborough City Council seize the opportunity available to
The Posh Supporters' Trust
The Posh Supporters' Trust was established in 2002 by long-standing Posh supporters to strengthen the bonds between Peterborough United FC and the community that it serves. It also aims to benefit present and future members of the community by promoting and encouraging the game of football as a recreational facility, sporting activity and focus for community involvement. The Trust campaigns for supporters' and community interests to be given a higher priority at the club.
The Trust receives help and advice from Supporters Direct, a government-backed national body that has assisted over 140 supporters' trusts to become active in their communities. Over a dozen football clubs are owned or controlled by trusts. Many more have been saved from oblivion in campaigns orchestrated by supporters' trusts.
Most Football League clubs have supporters' trusts with similar aims.
Peterborough United Football Club
We consider that a thriving football league club is central to the development of a city that aspires to
be a regional hub. Although the population has more than doubled in the last 30 years, average home
attendances have diminished by over 40 per cent. We wish to see this trend reversed.
Youth Football - Centre of Excellence For many years Peterborough United had a very successful youth system (the Academy) that competed, in ability but not financially, on equal terms with Premier League clubs. The scheme was abruptly cancelled in 2003 when the club changed hands and immediately many promising young players were lost to youth systems operated by rival clubs in the area. Since then a new system has been established, thanks to the City Council. The project is viable and funding stretches as far as the end of 2008.
Submission 1: The Trust proposes that the club should benefit from some of the profits derived by PUHL from the residential development by means of a Section 106 grant to be injected into the youth system. A substantial payment would guarantee the survival of the scheme until 2010, 2011 or further.
There is a clear need. Virtually all Football League clubs have an established youth system - Peterborough United should have one as well. A successful Centre of Excellence, providing a stream of young players from under-9s to under-18s and into the reserves and first team, would be a boost to the club and the sporting life of the city. The eventual sale of the better players taken from the Centre could also provide a source of future income for the club as it has in the past.
The scheme is sustainable and affordable. With a contribution from the property development the Centre of Excellence would be sustainable into the medium and long term and also affordable. It is likely that matched funding would be available. To be successful, the scheme needs to be certain of its future, so that children now under 10 years old can aspire to graduating all the way through the system to the first team.
We believe that the Centre of Excellence should either be administered as a separate trust or that any payments should be ring-fenced to safeguard the scheme from the financial rigours experienced by the football club itself.
Parking
The principal reason given by PUHL for the new stand
is the need for the football club to be ready to stage Championship-level football in a few years' time. However, the Transport Assessment submitted in support of the proposal plays down the loss of "some 110" parking spaces, suggesting that only 100-115 of the existing 160 parking spaces are used on match days. True, if Darlington or Torquay United are the visitors for a League 2 match, but not if the opposition is a local rival such as Lincoln City or Northampton Town.
The Transport Assessment states that "the number of supporters attending future matches will remain similar to current attendance levels". Again, it is difficult to reconcile this with the suggestion that a new stand is necessary in order that the club can compete in the Championship against clubs with substantial away support like Wolverhampton Wanderers, Sheffield Wednesday and Norwich City.
We foresee serious problems with parking, which could adversely affect attendances at home matches. As many of those who use the Moy's End car park are elderly or infirm, most of the alternative facilities referred to in the Transport Assessment would be unsuitable for them on the grounds of distance from the stadium. In addition, some of the city centre car parks are likely to be built over in the next few years, according to the City Centre Master Plan issued in November 2003.
Disabled parking
Furthermore the Transport Assessment allows for four spaces for disabled users to be "potentially available
to supporters on match days", together with "the four disabled spaces close to the south
entrance to the Moy's End Stand". We regard these facilities as totally insufficient.
Submission 2: We submit that the plans should allow for the provision of substantially more parking spaces, especially those designated for disabled motorists, for use by football supporters, or alternatively permanent arrangements enabling supporters with mobility issues to gain access to the stadium to attend matches.
Stadium use for community purposes
We believe that further improvements to the stadium, which would benefit the local community, should be a requirement of any planning approval. This should involve the use of the stadium for sporting,
educational and other purposes particularly on weekdays, the details to be agreed between the City Council, Peterborough United Holdings Limited and Peterborough United Football Club. We recommend that local residents should seek advice from the Federation of Stadium Communities, which specialises in improving the quality of life in stadium neighbourhoods; it explores ways in which football clubs and community groups can work together to bring mutual benefits to the local area.
Submission 3: We consider that a Section 106 payment should be made by PUHL towards the cost of providing facilities at the club for local residents or for community services that would benefit from the use of such facilities.
We would be happy to provide further information on any of these submissions.
Home | News | Shop | Support The Trust | Smile Tickets | Gold Bond | About The Trust | Minutes of Meetings | Newsletters | Links
material © The Posh Supporters Trust
design © 