Brighton and Hove Albion’s plans for a fan zone have been given the green light by councillors.
The application received unanimous backing when it went before Brighton and Hove City Council’s Planning Committee this afternoon (Wednesday 6 March).
The plans include a two-storey event space, with a mezzanine floor, serving food and drink, with more space for shops, toilets and storage.
The new building would replace the existing kiosks close to the railway line at the American Express Community Stadium, in Falmer.
One objector was concerned about more fans coming to the site and Brighton and Hove Independent councillor Mark Earthey asked about this.
He was told that the fan zone would not bring more people but would attract only those attending matches – not people without tickets.
The zone would be used to screen matches and for other events, as the stadium is now.
Labour councillor Julie Cattell asked about a proposed green wall, asking for more than a few wires and twigs, and was told that this would be covered by a planning condition.
Fellow Labour councillor Jacob Allen said:
“It’s increasingly an element incorporated in (stadium) design – how fans can spend time before and after matches that isn’t just piling on trains and into local pubs.
“There’s one in Falmer village that gets quite busy only during match days.”
Student housing just east of the stadium could be affected by noise, the committee was told, with the nearest homes, the Alumno Falmer building, close to the station.
But Councillor Allen said that the students were living between the railway line and a dual carriageway road and next to a football stadium.
It was doubtful that they would worry about noise from the proposed fan zone, he added.
His Labour colleague, Councillor Paul Nann, who works at Sussex University, said that students would not complain about the noise.
The meeting was told that Dick’s Bar was expected to remain open as a pre-turnstile bar in the short term before being incorporated into the new fan zone.
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