Ken Supporting Brentford FC
Mayor
Livingstone Backing Bees New Ground
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Bees United, the Brentford Supporters’ Trust, have received a boost to their plans for a new community stadium for Brentford Football Club at a site in Lionel Road, Brentford. London Mayor, Ken Livingstone, has expressed his support for the Bees United proposals in a letter to Richard Bowker, Chairman of the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA). |
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Lionel Road is a brownfield site, of approximately 7.7 acres close to Kew Bridge Railway Station, and has been the favoured site for a new stadium by Bees United for more than 18 months. The SRA, which is responsible for regulating the railway network and disposing of land from the old British Rail, have entered into an agreement with another development party who are understood to favour the erection of warehousing units. Despite this outline agreement more than a year ago, the sale has not yet been completed and comes in the face of Bees United’s counter-proposals for a 20,000 capacity stadium and associated development that would incorporate a number of community facilities and enabling development which would help fund the scheme. |
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The proposals also incorporate a light rapid transit system (LRTS) that would run along the route of the A4, with Lionel Road acting as a key transport hub, although the stadium complex could stand alone without this.
The Mayor is understood to be supportive of Bees United’s proposals for mixed development on the site, which are not dependant on the LRTS going ahead.
Bees United made presentations to the Mayor’s offices which were enthusiastically received by officials. This support from the Mayor comes on top of that of local MPs, Ann Keen and Alan Keen, and Hounslow Borough Council.
A clearly pleased Bees United Chairman, Brian Burgess summed up his feelings “This is another welcome indication that the supporters' vision of a stadium hub with facilities to link sport, health and educational activities for the local community together with commercial enabling development and a transport interchange, has caught the imagination of key decision makers. There is still a long way to go to develop a viable arrangement with suitable development partners but things certainly seem to be going in the right direction".
Brentford FC Club Director and Bees United's Chief Executive, John McGlashan, added: "The support for our scheme has been fantastic. We've received nothing but encouragment from local people, Hounslow Council, and our local MPs Ann and Alan Keen. Through them we have gained further support at Ministerial level, and the importance of backing from the Mayor of London as well can't be stressed enough".
20 Jan 2004
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