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Cabinet NOTED the comments made
by Councillor Paul Lorber (as lead petitioner) in support of a
petition containing 274 signatures requesting that the Council
actively consult with and take into
account the concerns of local residents and businesses
regarding the impact created by any increase permitted in the
number of large events at Wembley Stadium on the surrounding
area.  In introducing the petition,
Councillor Lorber highlighted the impact Wembley Stadium had on a
large part of Brent.  Referring to the planning application due
to be considered by Brent’s Planning Committee on 11
September 2024 seeking an permanent increase in the number of
permitted events hosted at the Stadium, Councillor Lorber advised
that the signatories of the petition felt the Council needed to be
well informed on the potential impacts of the proposed increase and
seek to consult and engage local residents and businesses beyond
the usual planning process and requirements.  As an example, reference was made to the public
consultation that had been undertaken when Tottenham Hotspur
Football Club had submitted their application to temporarily
increase event days at the Stadium in order to host premier league
fixtures whereas, he pointed out, the current application from
Wembley Stadium would mean a permanent increase in the number of
events they were able to host.
 
Detailing the impact of event
days at Wembley Stadium on residents, Councillor Lorber advised
Cabinet that people living in the area felt impeded, with buses
diverted and road closures impacting movement throughout the whole
day and not only during the period of the event itself, citing the
recent example of the Taylor Swift concerts hosted over a period of
6 days at the Stadium.  These had
involved road closures and bus diversions from midday during each
of the 5 event days with residents also
experiencing difficulties accessing tube services.  In his capacity as ward member for Sudbury,
Councillor Lorber also outlined the impact on a family within his
ward whose access to carers for their elderly mother had been
adversely affected due to travel disruption experienced
as a result of an event being hosted at
the Stadium.
 
Highlighting the history of
event days at the stadium, Councillor Lorber detailed the increase
from the 37 large events permitted in
the original business case for the new Stadium to the 46 large
events now permitted and the current planning application seeking a
further increase to 54 large events and similar increase for small
events from 51 to 60.  Considering this
change, he felt that the Council had a responsibility to review the
impact the stadium had on the daily lives of Brent residents and
hold a public meeting where local
residents could have their say and the Council could respond
accordingly.
 
In response, Councillor Tatler
(as Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Planning and Growth) thanked
Councillor Lorber for attending Cabinet in
order to ensure the views of those supporting the petition
were presented.  Due to there being a
live planning application on the issue, she advised she would be
unable to comment specifically in relation to that
application. 
This was to ensure there was no pre-determination on the matter,
with the final decision a matter for the Planning Committee, but took the opportunity to assure
Councillor Lorber that the views expressed within petition had been
acknowledged.  In concluding her
response, Councillor Tatler highlighted what she recognised as the
need to ensure that the wider economic benefits provided by the
Stadium in relation to the borough as a whole were balanced against
the impact on and concerns of the local community in terms of
considering what was best for Brent, with the views expressed in
the petition forming part of that process.  In thanking Councillor Tatler for her
response,  Councillor Muhammed Butt (as
Leader) also assured those present that the Planning Committee, in
considering the application, would take account of the
representations made with the Council also committed to continue
working with the Stadium to ensure the significant contribution
made to Brent and the UK as a whole was maintained whilst also
seeking to protect and support local residents and
businesses.