london assembly stadium-led regeneration regeneration committee submission of the dulwich hamlet supporters trust [email protected]

London Assembly Stadium-led regeneration
Regeneration Committee
Submission of the Dulwich Hamlet Supporters Trust
[email protected]
This submission has been prepared by the Dulwich Hamlet Supporters’
Trust (DHST). DHST was set up in 2003 and is an independent,
democratic, not for profit organisation aiming to secure a successful
and sustainable future for Dulwich Hamlet Football Club. The key
objectives of DHST include working to see a thriving club and a secure
future for the ground. DHST has over 200 members, which represents
almost 30% of the average attendance, who pay a bi-annual
subscription. The importance of supporters’ trusts has been
increasingly recognized and their democratic nature means that those
representing the trust are accountable to the fans.1
Background
Dulwich Hamlet Football Club has played their home fixtures close to
the site of the existing stadium for over a century and is one of the
most respected and recognised non-league football clubs in the
country. This is partly due to the club’s illustrious history and
distinctive pink and blue shirts. The club currently play in the
Isthmian League Premier Division, which is three divisions below the
professional league.
The reason for building Champion Hill stadium in this location in 1993
was to provide a suitable home for Dulwich Hamlet Football Club
following the demolition of the previous stadium and development of a
new supermarket (adjacent to the site of the current Champion Hill
Stadium). This has allowed the club to remain within the local area
with which it has connections going back to the 19th Century. The need
to provide a new home for Dulwich Hamlet Football Club was an
important consideration for Southwark Council in deciding whether this
development was acceptable, and at the time presented a number of
complex issues that the football club, its supporters, the local
community, and Southwark Council and its elected members worked hard
to resolve. This effort demonstrates the strength of community feeling
towards maintaining the presence of Dulwich Hamlet Football Club
within the local area and the importance of the football stadium as a
community asset that facilitates this.
The football stadium provides an important sporting and social
function that is unique in both Dulwich and the wider Southwark area.
The level of football that a stadium is suitable for is generally
dictated by the range of facilities it offers (this can include things
like number of seats, turnstiles, and refreshment facilities).
Champion Hill stadium provides a standard of facilities that may
accommodate a team close to the top of the non-professional game –
there is currently no other comparable facility in Southwark. Specific
team activities that are undertaken at the ground include:
- Dulwich Hamlet Football Club first team home league and cup fixtures
- Dulwich Hamlet Football Club reserve team home league and cup
fixtures
- Millwall ladies first team league and cup fixtures
- Fisher Football Club first team home league and cup fixtures
- Representative fixtures involving other leagues
Champion Hill stadium provides a vital platform within the community
for those who play for these teams to participate in sport at a level
above grassroots but below the fully professional game. Many of the
players come from the local area and a variety of different socio
economic backgrounds. There is much evidence to demonstrate that
taking part in sport contributes to physical and mental wellbeing and
can improve outcomes in other areas of life – including family and
professional.
This provides benefits not only for the players themselves, but also
others who strive to achieve similar. The positive media attention
that comes from these achievements, and those of the clubs more
generally, serves as an important source of community pride and
presents a positive image for the local area.
In addition to the playing opportunities that it provides for in the
local area, Champion Hill stadium also allows the community to get
involved in other aspects of the game. This includes football
management, coaching, scouting and other important roles that are
vital to the operation of the club – e.g. running turnstiles,
stewarding games, being on the club’s committee or supporters trust.
Most of the roles are filled on a voluntary basis and offer a real
opportunity for members of the community develop new skills and build
friendships.
The stadium provides a safe environment where families can spend time
together and socialise with others while enjoying a game. Families and
young people are encouraged to visit using concessions – for Dulwich
Hamlet Football Club match day tickets are free for under 12s
accompanied by an adult. There are also a range of other concessions
offered, for example to pensioners and those on benefits. Dulwich
Hamlet has given free tickets to the children and parents of local
primary schools in the past and is working to offer free admission to
students in full-time education during the upcoming season.
The continuing and increasing value of the land as a community
facility for spectators is evident from the increasing attendances.
For the Dulwich Hamlet first team alone the cumulative attendance for
the 2013/14 league season saw over ten thousand spectator visits to
Champion Hill. The average supporter attendance at the league games
was nearly seven hundred and almost one thousand four hundred people
attended the last game of the season.
Put in context, Dulwich Hamlet Football Club has seen first team
average home attendances rise by 160 per cent over the last three
seasons, despite the challenging economic climate. The rising
attendances are linked not only to the successes on the pitch, but
also a rise in general interest in the non-league game locally.
The retention of Champion Hill stadium in its present or adjacent
primary use is crucial for enabling Dulwich Hamlet Football Club and
the other teams mentioned to deliver the important social and
community benefit discussed.
Set out above are some of the many benefits that non-league football
clubs provide. However, the problems of smaller football clubs in
London have been long recognized.2
The present owners of Dulwich Hamlet Football Club and the football
ground, Hadley Property Development (HPD), are in the early stages of
proposals to redevelop the ground and adjoining land. The aim DHST is
to work with the owners to ensure a secure future for the football
club either at its existing ground or on adjacent land with an
appropriate replacement.
Set out below are ways in which the Mayor and the London Assembly
should support smaller clubs to remain and thrive in their existing
communities where that involves stadium-led regeneration.
The purpose of the Committee’s investigation
*
Review evidence from past and current stadium-led regeneration
schemes to assess the benefits of stadium development programmes
to both football clubs and local communities;
No submissions on this issue.
*
Review the role of the Mayor in stadium regeneration schemes and
assess the extent to which his objectives for stadium-led
regeneration in the London Plan are being met; and
We support the commitment of the Mayor set out in the London Plan to
support the continued success of professional sporting enterprises and
requirement that in planning, developments should ‘address
deficiencies in facilities and provide a cultural focus to foster more
sustainable communities’.3
Stadium-led regeneration must involve social as well as physical
outcomes, a point made repeatedly by a number of the expert guests
that provided information during the first part of this investigation.
Football clubs, both small and large, provide a cultural focus. The
recent success of Dulwich Hamlet Football Club and its supporters,
both on and off the football pitch, is an excellent example of the
ways in which sport can foster more sustainable communities.
We also support the:
*
Commitment to work with local stakeholders to promote and develop
sporting facilities.4
*
Requirement of borough Local Development Frameworks to enhance the
“economic contribution and community role” of sporting
developments.5
*
Develop recommendations for the Mayor to ensure the current
stadium development schemes – in particular the Olympic Stadium –
deliver a genuine regeneration legacy for local communities.
No submissions on this issue.
Views from local communities and members of the public affected by the
development of football stadia
*
What impact local residents and businesses think stadium
development has had on their lives in the local area;
The holistic benefits of living next to a stadium will centre on how
it is used on the days it is not in use. Using stadia as a catalyst
for economic growth or social cohesion is only going to be successful
if alternative uses can also be accommodated.
In the case of Dulwich Hamlet, it is anticipated that the current
range of community activities will be included in the development.
Stadia can be used as valuable meeting spaces and community sporting
facilities as well as being used by local schools and community
groups. As referenced on pages one and two of this submission, this
can stimulate local economic growth, but also makes the stadium
function as a community hub. This has been widely recognised in
academic work on stadium led regeneration.6
In many ways this is easy to achieve with a smaller facility and this
should be central to the Mayor’s recommendation.
Looking at the impacts of stadium development during construction; it
is a reasonable assumption that there will be a significant impact on
the local area irrespective of the size of the development. Often
smaller stadium developments have a more profound immediate effect due
to the number of additional construction vehicles on the local road
network; especially if the development is served from a single point
of access/egress.
*
How community groups are involved and given a say in stadium-led
regeneration schemes;
As with most sites of their scale, significant resource is invested in
consultation events for the local community. However, in general, this
seems to target local residents in greater detail than it does fans of
the club. Considering it is the supporters and (in the case of
redevelopment) patrons of other activities offered by the stadium who
will be most aware of their likely requirements as end users, a
greater level of engagement should occur.
*
What impact stadium-led regeneration has on local businesses, how
businesses are consulted, and whether there are negative impacts
for local enterprises.
The influx of people to a local area is unlikely to have many
significant impacts on the surrounding businesses. In fact, in most
cases, the benefits should outweigh any negatives. Whilst it could be
argued that increased traffic and parking demand may lead to
congestion in certain areas, the likely spend from additional football
will dwarf any dis-benefits experienced.
END
1 See for example GLA Culture, Sport and Tourism Committee, Away from
Home – Scrutiny of London’s Football Stadiums, June 2003
Available at:
http://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/archives/assembly-reports-culture-football_stadiums.pdf
2 GLA Culture, Sport and Tourism Committee, Away from Home – Scrutiny
of London’s Football Stadiums, June 2003
3 London Plan (2011), Paragraph 3.11
4 London Plan (2011), Policy 3.19
5 London Plan (2011), Policy 4.6
6 E.g. Football and Its Communities: Final Report For the Football
Foundation. (2006: 41 - 42) Brown A., Crabbe T., Mellor G., Blackshaw
T., Stone C.
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