Leader of Hull City Council, Councillor Stephen Brady responds to latest Airco Arena developments - 14/04/2015 Leader of Hull City Council, Councillor Stephen Brady said: "We are extremely sad and disappointed to learn today that the decision has been made to go ahead with the installation of a 3G pitch at the Airco Arena, despite our stated major concerns about the impact on community users and the fact that we were having ongoing and productive discussions with both the Club and the Premier League about providing an acceptable alternative facility on the nearby hockey pitches.
"Together with the City MPs, we have bent over backwards to support Hull City AFC in its bid to become a Category 2 Training Academy - including promising to expedite any planning or other permissions required to ensure they were able to meet the deadline set by the Premier League, which through our lobbying we also managed to get extended following the meeting between the Club and the Premier League Youth Development Team last Friday, as reported on Saturday. This is despite not being consulted on the Club's plans, including the impacts on the existing community users.
"To our surprise, on Monday, we received a letter from the Club in relation to the hockey pitch proposal which made certain requests of the Council which could not possibly or legally be fulfilled, these were:
a guarantee that the dome pitch would be granted planning consent (this would be a pre-determination and would be unlawful);
a contribution of £425,000 from the Council to the £850,000 cost of providing the dome facility;
the granting of business rates relief, for both the Airco Arena and the KC Stadium, for a period of 18-months (this is illegal).
"On receipt of this letter, we advised the Club immediately that we could not meet these stipulations and why. We also restated our view that there was an alternative acceptable to the Club, the Premier League and which did not impact on community users. We are aware that the Premier League deadline is not until July, by when formal planning consent could be in place.
"As owners of the KC Stadium and the Airco Arena we are now considering all of our options in light of the action that has been taken by the Club today.
"In the meantime, we will continue to do everything in our power to support the existing community clubs to find alternative facilities in the City and our offer of working with the Club, the Premier League and our local MPs to provide the acceptable alternative, through the provision of a dome over the hockey pitches, remains on the table."
Well, as owners of the stadium and arena, lets actually see you do something about this situation. There has been a clear conflict of interests by an individual who has gone against his originally stated intentions and who is abusing his position to favour one of his companies by the use of council owned facilities.
Leader of Hull City Council, Councillor Stephen Brady responds to latest Airco Arena developments - 14/04/2015 Leader of Hull City Council, Councillor Stephen Brady said: "We are extremely sad and disappointed to learn today that the decision has been made to go ahead with the installation of a 3G pitch at the Airco Arena, despite our stated major concerns about the impact on community users and the fact that we were having ongoing and productive discussions with both the Club and the Premier League about providing an acceptable alternative facility on the nearby hockey pitches.
"Together with the City MPs, we have bent over backwards to support Hull City AFC in its bid to become a Category 2 Training Academy - including promising to expedite any planning or other permissions required to ensure they were able to meet the deadline set by the Premier League, which through our lobbying we also managed to get extended following the meeting between the Club and the Premier League Youth Development Team last Friday, as reported on Saturday. This is despite not being consulted on the Club's plans, including the impacts on the existing community users.
"To our surprise, on Monday, we received a letter from the Club in relation to the hockey pitch proposal which made certain requests of the Council which could not possibly or legally be fulfilled, these were:
a guarantee that the dome pitch would be granted planning consent (this would be a pre-determination and would be unlawful);
a contribution of £425,000 from the Council to the £850,000 cost of providing the dome facility;
the granting of business rates relief, for both the Airco Arena and the KC Stadium, for a period of 18-months (this is illegal).
"On receipt of this letter, we advised the Club immediately that we could not meet these stipulations and why. We also restated our view that there was an alternative acceptable to the Club, the Premier League and which did not impact on community users. We are aware that the Premier League deadline is not until July, by when formal planning consent could be in place.
"As owners of the KC Stadium and the Airco Arena we are now considering all of our options in light of the action that has been taken by the Club today.
"In the meantime, we will continue to do everything in our power to support the existing community clubs to find alternative facilities in the City and our offer of working with the Club, the Premier League and our local MPs to provide the acceptable alternative, through the provision of a dome over the hockey pitches, remains on the table."
Well, as owners of the stadium and arena, lets actually see you do something about this situation. There has been a clear conflict of interests by an individual who has gone against his originally stated intentions and who is abusing his position to favour one of his companies by the use of council owned facilities.
barham red wrote:I might be missing the point here but why do the council have to do anything to help Allam in his quest to get a category 2 training facility? He seems to be threatening (and carrying out) to change the use of a council owned facility if they don’t provide him with the means to do it elsewhere.
Isn’t this just the same as Tesco’s threatening to turn Costello into a new store if the council don’t ‘assist in’ building them one elsewhere?
I’m pretty sure there 2 rugby clubs, an ice hockey team and countless other smaller sporting enterprises that would love the same assistance and none of those take part in a sport that generates the amounts of cash the football teams do. Surely a business valued at £x00m pounds that is in private hands doesn’t need financial help of any kind.
Being a Rovers fan I always saw the whole Allam thing as a bit of an amusing side show that was fuelling your paranoia. There was no way he could throw you out realistically but it rattled the cages. Now I’m not so sure , the man thinks he can do anything and this latest escapade only strengthens that belief. I can now see FC being next on his hit list, and even as a fan of the ‘enemy’ I would back your lot over him.
That's a good balanced view from an outsider, I say an outsider but the stadium belongs to Hull not west Hull or the Allams. Thanks for your support I have a feeling we may need support from other fans/clubs to stop he mad man.
weaver93 wrote:I don't think you would be amused IF Dr Allam recalled his £1M loan from HKR...
As a matter of interest could you let HKR fans know exactly what is still owing on this 'loan'. I am sure one of the many experts on this board that know the internal workings of Rovers finances could help.
Joined: Feb 09 2004 Posts: 7735 Location: Here there and everywhere
Structured wrote:As a matter of interest could you let HKR fans know exactly what is still owing on this 'loan'. I am sure one of the many experts on this board that know the internal workings of Rovers finances could help.
You don't need to be an expert. You can tell simply by looking at the financial statements.
I am sure if the hkr fans were interested, they could do the same
Joined: Sep 18 2005 Posts: 8742 Location: 2017 City of Culture
barham red wrote:Being a Rovers fan I always saw the whole Allam thing as a bit of an amusing side show that was fuelling your paranoia. There was no way he could throw you out realistically but it rattled the cages. Now I’m not so sure , the man thinks he can do anything and this latest escapade only strengthens that belief. I can now see FC being next on his hit list, and even as a fan of the ‘enemy’ I would back your lot over him.
allam is just a bully. Unfortunately he seems to me like one of these people who will live until he's about 110 which means we're stuck with his as no one will buy the club with it's current debts.
Joined: Mar 11 2007 Posts: 5659 Location: Next to Ramsgate Sands c.1850 in West Hull
And the statement form the Premier League which exposes the lies the Allams have been peddling regarding the date on which the audit must take place - the PL don't set it at all, the Allams themselves request it.
Perhaps they don't want to request a date - it appears that the new pitch in the Airco will be too small anyway and will not meet the FA requirements.
Philip Larkin wrote:
There ain’t no music East side of this city That’s mellow like mine is, That’s mellow like mine.
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