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Fans left disappointed as Barnet suffer setback to their new stadium hopes

Fans have been left disappointed as Barnet suffer a setback to their hopes of a new stadium near their former Underhill home.

The League Two newcomers’ bid to build a 7,000-capacity stadium on Barnet Playing Fields was rejected by Barnet Council’s strategic planning committee on Monday night.

As reported by Barnet Post, despite a packed out meeting with supporters from the Bring Barnet Back campaign and opponents from the Save Barnet Playing Fields group, council officers’ strong recommendation to refuse the bid due to “inappropriate development within the green belt” and “loss of public open space” prevailed.

Supporters from the Bring Barnet Back campaign, and opponents from the Save Barnet Playing Fields group faced repeated requests from committee chair Cllr Nigel Young not to cheer or clap as points were made.

Council officers had strongly recommended the refusal of the bid, meaning there was a very low chance of the new stadium application being accepted.

Cllr Tim Roberts told the meeting: “Nobody would expect Tottenham Hotspur to play at Arsenal stadium, Barnet Council should not be telling Barnet FC to play in Harrow” before adding: “We need to make football come home – and that should start here at the strategic planning committee meeting.”

Ward colleague Cllr Beg said of the playing fields: “They are the beating heart of Underhill and once gone we will not get them back” and added: “It would be great to have Barnet Football Club back in the borough but this is not the right venue.”

For the campaign groups, Robert Verrill of Save Barnet Playing Fields said: “For a century, Barnet Playing Fields has been a cornerstone of our community.”

He said that the group came back from going door-to-door, and found that the local residents strongly opposed the stadium plans: “The important thing about this community is that its main asset is the local park – not a stadium in the middle of the park.”

Iain Botterill of Bring Barnet Back: “This isn’t just a stadium, it’s a belief about what Barnet can be”

He urged the committee to help the club improve its sustainability. The Bees are said to be losing £1million a year since they moved into their current stadium, The Hive, in Harrow in 2013.

He added: “Councillors, you are not to blame for Barnet’s financial position but you are responsible for what happens next.”

Committee member Councillor Joshua Conway asked Iain Botterill of Bring Barnet Back if he wanted to comment on claims made by council leader Barry Rawlings at a council meeting last week that the club had been offered “three or four” alternative sites.

Iain said: “It’s nonsense. Cllr Rawlings has not named those sites. What are the sites? Name them.”

Most committee members backed the idea of the club returning to the borough but were inclined to oppose the proposed plans due to concerns about inappropriate development on green belt land and the loss of public open space and playing fields.

However, Councillors Conway and Conservative councillor, Shuey Gordon argued that the absence of clear alternative site options made it difficult to determine if special circumstances justified green belt development.

Cllr Gordon called for a vote to defer the bid, saying: “We can’t possibly understand the nature of the special circumstances, until we understand the options the club has.”

Cllr Conway: “The council is saying there are alternative sites and the applicant is saying there aren’t.”

The committee was asked to request a list of alternative sites mentioned previously by Cllr Rawlings.

Campaigners weighed community benefits against the loss of a valued local park.

Claims about alternative sites offered to the club were disputed, leading councillors Joshua Conway and Shuey Gordon to abstain from voting due to uncertainty, while others voted to reject the application.

A frustrated fan shouted “elections in May” after the bid was denied.

Ben Kentish gave updates via social media: One Barnet councillor has just stood up to argue that the £2.1 million project should be blocked because “if there was an FA Cup replay and it went to penalties” then there might be some noise until 10.30pm.

This is the sort of absurd mentality in town halls that this country is suffering from.

Another Barnet councillor suggests the stadium floodlights – which will be in use for a couple of hours once a fortnight – might affect the wildlife in a local brook. I kid you not.

Council officers have raised concerns about the unknown impact that development might have on otters. The site in question is a playing field in London, miles from any rivers.

Verdict: Barnet Labour councillors unite to reject the application. So almost £3m of investment, dozens of new jobs, a new health centre and a community sports facility are all rejected. The future of the 137-year-old football club is left precarious. Meanwhile Barnet Council leader @BarryJohnRawlin publicly begs @RachelReevesMP for more money. @AngelaRayner is working hard to try to change the NIMBY, anti-development mindset of too many local councils. She’s got her work cut out.

“We are backing the builders, not the blockers” said Keir Starmer four months ago. He might want to have a stern word with his @BarnetLabour colleagues after tonight.

Also worth noting that while @SadiqKhan is rightly backing sensible and careful development of the greenbelt, Labour London GLA member Anne Clarke turned up to the meeting to speak strongly against the proposed development.

@The_BeeBrief who was at Hendon Town Hall, said: Can’t believe some of the stuff being said at this. Schools will be apparently be affected by the games. I forgot schools teach on Saturdays and at 7:45 on a Tuesday. Crazy crazy stuff.

“The school argument for the 4th time…

“Finally someone shut this schools argument down.

“This bloke stated that the fields were previously used for playing football and now more dog walkers. Question was asked of the use of the fields, retracts his statement and it’s now apparently used all the time. Awful awful argument this 😂”

@Jimbokav1971 also wrote: The noise at a football club will upset a school? When is this school open? When are matches? You mean there aren’t matches while schools are open? #BringBarnetBack

Fuck me. He’s had to have 2 questions explained to him. 😖 Cllr Paul Edwards. (Labour) (High Barnet ward). Absolute clown. 3 Cllrs spoken so far. All negative. Not really any serious objections mentioned. Just bull.

Go on Cllr Tim Roberts. 👏 #Underhill #BringBarnetBack

Ooof. 😖 Cllr Anne Clarke is not messing about. Clear and concise. That’s the 1st one that really hurt us. She’s smart so this isn’t a surprise. She’s just hammering #GreenBelt & that the site is not for sale. She was the 1 Cllr we really needed on our side. #BringBarnetBack

Zippo Circus, Mauritian and Ghanaian festivals? Where did all the park users go while these were on? #BringBarnetBack ⚽️

Half of these Cllrs can’t talk. I mean it’s ridiculous.

Can’t wait for Iain and Keith to speak. This bloke has just said that there are Barnet supporters in the area against the move and that his group was the only one that has knocked on doors and asked public opinion. Iain. Love you man. 😍 #BringBarnetBack ⚽️

So what is the difference between this Barnet FC application to build on Greenbelt land, and the application made by Saracens RFC to build on Greenbelt land, and then be sold the land for £1, and then to be offered a loan of £10M to finance stadium development? #BringBarnetBack

Cllr Shuey Gordon makes a good point that if there are no alternative sites available, then the “special circumstances” may indeed be met. Seems pretty reasonable but they don’t want to do this because they just want to reject it. #BringBarnetBack

The Chair has just stated that “we haven’t raised the question of other sites”, despite the fact that he asked a question personally on that very subject. #BringBarnetBack

6 against 3 abstained. The 2 younger Tories, (Gordon & Conway), abstained + 1. I don’t know who 3rd was.

WHAT THE STADIUM PLANS LOOKED LIKE:

As mentioned, fans were left disappointed as Barnet suffer a setback to their new stadium hopes…

@ncarowland: Wants us back in Barnet but is against the proposal? #bringbarnetback

@alanwalters6: Add Bristol City Council to that list. They have repeatedly put blockers in the way of Steve Lansdown spending his own money developing a Sporting Quarter around Ashton Gate Stadium. 1000s of jobs created and bringing world class facilities to the city. It’s cost millions already

@cam_shippam: As a Brighton fan I couldn’t be more sympathetic. Hope Rayner can do for them what Prescott did for us

@HarryTaylr: Sheer madness to deny Barnet a return to… Barnet. Worst elements of local government and planning decisions on display here, all entirely believable.

@GrndhoppingGrl: I can’t say all I want to on this, bearing in mind the government dept I work for. But I’m sad, disappointed, and angry, mainly because this seems to have been sewn up before the meeting even began. Thank you to all those who have worked on this campaign. #bringbarnetback

@duncanyoung68: Barnet council happy to let the district of Barnet rot away. Hang your heads in shame. #BringBarnetBack

@traymabes: You were brilliant Iain. Just brilliant. Passionate, intelligent and factually accurate. Thank you.

@barnet_john: Absolutely superb speech by Iain Botterill and brilliant in the Q&A. Barnet fans could not have hoped for a better advocate.

@Memdozer: Very impressed with Councillor Gordon. He is bang on with this. @nigel_young1, if you’re saying there aren’t alternative sites then South Underhill IS a special site. So disappointed with a supposed Labour councillor when the government wants growth. 6 accept recommendations to refuse the plan, 3 abstain. We fight on! When we get a new stadium, genuinely needs to be a statue of Iain Botterill and Keith Doe. Iain B delivered the speech but those two are the driving forces. #bringbarnetback

@HGEN5B: A “specialist in regeneration” @nigel_young1, but you would rather see a playing field where football hasn’t been played for 15 years and the cricket strip is rotten stay empty. You should hang your head in shame

@duncanyoung68: Barnet council happy to let the district of Barnet rot away. Hang your heads in shame. #BringBarnetBack

@podge1606: @Downhill2ndHalf @BFCSA1926 I’m not a Barnet fan or from the area but have family & friends who are. I watched all 2hrs15 of tonight’s debate and feel for you. Thought the people who spoke in favour gave clear, valid reasons. I’m sorry the vote didn’t go your way.

@barnet_john: A really disappointing vote tonight when the council had the chance to #bringbarnetback . Amazing show of support at the town hall and a superb campaign both of which deserved much better. A quick thread with my thoughts. First up huge thanks to Iain Bottrill for some amazing work setting up and running the campaign. And he spoke superbly tonight. He deserves everyone’s thanks an admiration and has a big role to play in the months to come. “Show us the sites” was the phrase of the night! Officers report felt narrow & biased. Symptomatic of a planning system that doesn’t work + holds growth back. Eonomic benefits dismissed with half a sentence. Yet the fields were described as “much loved”- was that an evidence based expert statement or a subjective judgement? Most laughably it claimed the area where Barnet had played for a century, in league 2 and league 1, hosting far larger crowds than the planned capacity without problems couldnt cope with the footfall. Absolutely ridiculous. Plus floodlights damaging wildlife + risk to otters. None of this excuses the councillors tonight. They are paid to take the decisions and see the bigger picture. Over the past 3 decades so many other councils ha e approved larger stadia than this but once again Barnet council have let fans down. New infrastructure, facilities and community assets don’t appear by magic. BFC willing to fund it but it needs local politicians to vote for it. Real lack of leadership, vision and common sense tonight from the planning committee. Its an embarrassing night for Barnet Labour + @barryjohnrawlin. Not to mention poor speeches opposing from Paul Edwards and their GLA member @anne_clarke. 2 decades trying to gain power in Barnet just to end up as little more than a Brian Coleman tribute act when they get in? Also big questions for Dan Tomlinson-@Dan4Barnet was elected on a platform of building stuff & even spoke at a #bringbarnetback event, yet on the biggest project in his constituency since he was elected he has hidden away & been totally silent- for a whole year. Where was he? Big electoral windfall there for politicians who can get Barnet back. Massive legacy achievement that will garner significant local backing. Remains to be seen whether local politicians will have courage to seize it. Councillors claim they “want to help the club”, but fans have been fobbed off with this line before- most notably under last Tory administration. Actions are needed not words. BFC has spent 35 years looking for a site in the Borough and have been twice thwarted at Underhill. Councillors kept saying they supported the principle of Barnet moving home but none could name or suggest a site. Unless and until they can point to a viable site its not credible to say you support Barnet coming home if you oppose the only option for bringing them home. Gap between Starmer and Rayner saying they are on the side of “the builders not the blockers” and their councillors tonight who clearly did not get the memo. Talk is good but doesnt achieve much local colleagues dont back it up with action. It’s simple- if you support bringing Barnet FC back to Barnet and there aren’t any alternative sites in the borough, then the only way to achieve that is to support a stadium on the only viable site.

@NickMurphy1995: Really is fascinating the hate some local politicians seem to have for their local football clubs, quite often one of the few genuinely positive assets associated with their area which puts them on the map nationally. Real shame for Barnet, hope they can appeal somehow.

@Pennybee85: Very disappointed by @BarnetCouncil and @Dan4Barnet and their clear nimbyism regarding proposed stadium development in barnet. Even in the council meeting clear lies were projected by councillors. Broken Britain to a tee.

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