Grimsby Town Football Club Stadium Consultation Submission at 13th March 2015 Introduction & background The Grimsby Town Football Club has been engaged in several failed attempts to relocate since 1994. The Club’s first planning application submitted back in 2001 was refused planning permission to a site at Great Coates. These plans were then allocated in the 2003 local plan. Subsequent to this a second application was submitted during 2005. Finally in January 2007 the scheme received planning committee approval 10-1 against, but was then subjected to judicial review by a competing scheme, by Henry Boots which was not allocated in the local plan. In November 2007 the Secretary of State approved the Council’s decision and planning permission was granted. The planning permission had 74 conditions attached, some of them financially onerous to say the least. Notwithstanding this, the scheme was rendered undeliverable when the economy crashed early 2008, and the retail enabling development could not be secured. Further to this the landowner would not commit to the sale of the site, expressing that with all of the conditions attached to the planning permission, the scheme was unviable in their opinion, a status the landowner maintains to this day. For this reason, the Club and its development partners conducted a new sequential appraisal in 2011 considering a number of sites which could accommodate the Club’s needs together with the all-important enabling development. A site in multi ownership to the west of Peaks Parkway, part owned by the Local Authority (LA) was sequentially preferred. A cabinet decision on the 4th of December 2014 sets out a basis to progress this further. As you would expect with such a project, there has been a lot of speculation. The lack of detail at the early stages effectively energized objectors to the scheme. There are three petitions already in circulation, one from an opposition group, another submitted to the LA on behalf of Ben Robinson in support of the Club’s proposals and the Club’s ongoing live petition. When the Club commenced its own petition it was supported by media coverage and 30,000 leaflets delivered in Grimsby and Cleethorpes providing headline particulars about the Clubs objective to relocate to a Community Stadium. The club has submitted its proposal’s for consideration to be included in the Local Plan. This culminates with the LA’s new draft Local Plan, which is out for consultation during a six week period ending 13th March 2015. It is not a simple process to feed comments / opinion into the Draft Local Plan online. For this reason the Club sort to engage in this process, by actively eliciting people’s opinions via an online survey about the specific options highlighted in the Draft Local Plan consultation document. Between the 18th February 2015, through to the 13th March 2015 at 5pm, the Club made available to the wider public, a Survey which could be completed via hard copy or online. In support of the Survey, the Club also held 3 public consultations which were well attended and very informative. Throughout the Club has collated public feedback which will feed into evolving a scheme that mitigates its impacts on the amenity of the area. Press, media and publication coverage Various links and details to publications; Date Consultation / Links / Circular Description 09/05/2014 http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/Grimsby- GTFC responding to objections Town-defends-petition-favour-new-Peaks/story- raised by the Park Ward action 21068633-detail/story.html group. June 2014 30,000 Leaflets delivered throughout Grimsby & Mariners Trust delivers 30,000 Cleethorpes leaflets to local residents, http://www.extra- promoting GTFC’s official gtfc.co.uk/MarinersTrustStadiumLeaflet.pdf Petition. 11/06/2014 http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/Grimsby- GTFC respond to questions Town-new-stadium-plan-Location-access/story- raised by the Park Ward Action 21215600-detail/story.html Group. 12/07/2014 http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/New-Town- GTFC receives support from MP stadium-Peaks-Parkway-viable/story-21455064- Austin Mitchell with regards to detail/story.html Peaks Parkway development. 01/08/2014 http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/Grimsby- GTFC release statement to Town-FC-issues-statement-effect- alleviate residents’ fears over the proposed/story-22050182-detail/story.html impact of the new stadium on Scartho Cemetery. 04/08/2014 http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/GTFC- GTFC moves to reassure moves-reassure-residents-stadium-plans/story- residents over Peaks Parkway 22065949-detail/story.html new stadium plans. 29/10/2014 http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/Ukip-thinks- GTFC directors respond to Grimsby-Town-play-Huntsman-Tioxide/story- UKIP’s barmy idea of developing 23716316-detail/story.html former Huntsman Tioxide site for new stadium. 03/11/2014 http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/New-GTFC- GTFC announce that the stadium stadium-plan-progressing/story-24013458- plans are progressing well detail/story.html however they warn fans that the club is at risk if they cannot relocate. 04/11/2014 http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/Fenty-ndash- GTFC losing £227K and cannot Accounts-relocation-vital/story-24084355- make ends meet at Blundell Park, detail/story.html meaning that new stadium is vital. 14/11/2014 http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/TOWN-s-5- GTFC 5 year goal is new stadium, year-goal-net-new-stadium/story-24533016- with the club keen to secure a 5 detail/story.html year lease on Peaks Parkway. 15/11/2014 http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/Quest-new- GTFC new stadium will GTFC-stadium-far-wide/story-24538798- regenerate the nearby area detail/story.html regardless of where its built. 17/11/2014 http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/New- John Fenty announces that we Grimsby-Town-stadium-make-happen- have to make the new stadium right/story-24545031-detail/story.html happen for the right reasons. 18/11/14 http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/York-City-s- York City’s new stadium could be new-stadium-blueprint-Grimsby-Town/story- the blueprint for GTFC. 24550849-detail/story.html 19/11/14 http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/Grimsby- GTFC is talks with housing Town-bosses-talks-housing-developer- developer over Peaks Parkway Peaks/story-24559152-detail/story.html stadium plan. 20/11/2014 http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/Grimsby- GTFC stadium plan: Looking at Town-stadium-plan-Looking-key-role-club/story- the key role the Club plays in 24570138-detail/story.html supporting the local community. 22/11/14 http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/New- New GTFC stadium moves a step Grimsby-Town-stadium-moves-step-closer/story- closer as independent study into 25146672-detail/story.html the project has been commissioned by the North East Lincolnshire Council. 05/12/14 http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/Grimsby- GTFC delighted after NELC agree Town-director-John-Fenty-delighted/story- to extend stadium site exclusivity 25201551-detail/story.html agreement. 11/02/2015 http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/Grimsby- Grimsby Town look towards their Town-look-Scunthorpe-United-model/story- rivals as Scunthorpe United 26006552-detail/story.html submit planning application. 18/02/2015 http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/Grimsby- Grimsby Town to hold press Town-press-conference-stadium-plans/story- conference as stadium plans move 26040320-detail/story.html forward. 18/02/2015 http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b052g6n0/l John Fenty talks live to Peter ook-north-east-yorkshire-and-lincolnshire- Levy on Look North about the 18022015 stadium consultations. 18/02/2015 Various radio interviews, Lincs FM, BBC Radio John Fenty talks live to various Humberside, Compass FM and Viking FM. radio stations about the stadium consultations. 18/02/2015 http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/Grimsby- GTFC asking for residents to give Town-Football-Club-asking-views-include/story- their views on the inclusion of 26046441-detail/story.html GTFC development in the Local Plan. 19/02/2015 http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/John-Fenty- John Fenty explains why New-Grimsby-Town-stadium-vital/story- relocation is pivotal for GTFC long 26049129-detail/story.html term future. 19/02/2015 http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/Blueprint- GTFC release Illustrative Plan as masterplan-Grimsby-Town-s-new-stadium/story- part of development consultation. 26053319-detail/story.html 19/02/2015 http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/Grimsby- GTFC announces consultation Town-FC-new-stadium-Consultation-dates/story- dates for public engagement. 26049086-detail/story.html 20/02/2015 http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/GTFC- Consultation dates announced reveals-stadium-blueprint/story-26054077- again to ensure maximum detail/story.html participation. 21/02/2015 http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/Grimsby- GTFC invite residents to have Town-s-new-stadium-Share-opinion/story- their say by sharing their opinions 26058985-detail/story.html at the public consultation. 21/02/2015 http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/87-support- GTFC announce survey response new-Grimsby-Town-stadium-Peaks- results to date. Parkway/story-26058986-detail/story.html 22/02/2015 http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/Opponents- Press update post first public supporters-proposed-Grimsby-Town/story- consultation at Peaks Parkway 26065627-detail/story.html site. 23/02/2015 http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/Grimsby- Further to the first consultation, Town-stadium-John-Fenty-comes-face- the publication of public opinion. face/story-26065494-detail/story.html 25/02/2015 http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/New-location- GTFC response to Cllr Shaw’s Grimsby-Town-stadium-barmy/story-26077125- suggestion of development at detail/story.html King George Stadium. 28/02/2015 http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/Grimsby- Public reminded of the date and Town-stadium-plan-debate-hots-ahead/story- venue for the second public 26095478-detail/story.html consultation, to be held at Blundell Park.