Brentford need some support

One of our long term users and friend of the site Paddy emailed us this morning to see if we would help sign a petition to help his club Brentford – of course I was more than happy to but I always wanted to share the link along and share with you why Brentford need help.

First the link, if you want to help Brentford get a new stadium please complete this petition.

Second, I wanted to share what he has individually contacted the Mayor about in order to try and move things along. We think it is a worthy cause and one you should consider getting behind!

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Dear Mayor,

I am writing to encourage your support of the Brentford’s Community Stadium proposal on Lionel Road.

The scheme is vitally important for the area, and for London on the whole. The proposal includes up to 910 new homes, something that London is calling for, while the jobs that the project will create, as well as those that will be sustained once the build has been completed can be vital for the future of the area and help London as a whole.

Hounslow Council approved the plans in December after considering all the evidence by all parties, while the planning officer had also suggested approval of the scheme. It is very important for the football club to be able to stay in the local area, not just for local heritage reasons but also for the jobs it holds, those that the scheme will create and maintain, but also for all the community charity work, particularly with the Community Sports Trust, that the club is active with in the area. The council recognised the importance of this, as did the planning officer, and as a result approved the scheme. I would hope that you can also recognise this, and understand how vital the borough consider the club and everything it brings. The current facilities the football club hold isn’t sustainable in the long term, currently making yearly losses to maintain itself along with the community aspects, and it is why the club need this move to happen. The ultimate goal of the scheme is to make a long term, sustainable future which will allow the club to stay in the borough and maintain the heritage and all the community elements that stem from it. The importance of it being allowed to remain here cannot be underestimated.

A scheme this size is likely to have impacts both positive and negative. One of the criticisms was potentially impacting views on areas of Kew. Sight tests were carried out and the council and the planning officer both deemed that the impact was minimal. The designs of the buildings has been planned to fit in with the existing architecture so that any buildings seen will fit in with the existing environments. The club has reduced the height of the buildings as a result of concerns to reduce the possible impact to cause as little disruption to existing views and*has demonstrated the willingness to be part of, and fit in with the community instead of being a hindrance or unwillingness to listen to local concerns. The fact that the disturbances were highlighted to be minimal in both the written proposal, and by the presentation of the council meeting were among reasons why the councillors voted yes on the scheme, as their concerns had been addressed satisfactorily.

The benefits can be huge for London, and for Hounslow long into the future, and I hope that you agree with the Planning Officer’s recommendation, the Borough of Hounslow’s recommendation and Hounslow residents recommendation and approve the scheme. The jobs that would be created will help to carry on the rejuvenation of the borough alone, and that along with the housing opportunities, community elements the club can bring, and the sustainable future for a club that has contributed to the area, and London as a whole for over 120 years.

Thank you for taking your time to read this. If you have any queries or follow up questions please feel free to contact me via the details below.

Kind regards

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