A Twickenham resident has written an 18-point petition against the nearby rugby stadium’s plans to increase its annual non-sporting events to 15.
Amanda Bail has lived in Twickenham for 23 years and lives a five-minute walk from Allianz Stadium. She took over the petition last year from her neighbour when the stadium applied for a new licence which was rejected by Richmond Council.
The stadium is currently allowed three concerts in a calendar year, capped at 55,000 people, but its new proposal would see an extra 20,000 people take to Twickenham’s streets.
Bail said: “A group of us got together because we were concerned that 15 is quite an escalation of large scale events on our doorstep – it’s too much.”
This time, however, Allianz Stadium announced it was sending a planning application to Richmond Council instead.
It also held two consultation days where locals could voice their concerns and since those were held, 400 more people have signed Bail’s petition.
The petition highlighted Twickenham’s weaknesses during rugby match days due to the area’s frail infrastructure leading to gridlocked roads, increased anti-social behaviour, and a minimum 90-minute cleanup before roads are reopened.
It demanded better investment in Twickenham’s infrastructure and transport system before the planning application is approved as well as investment into sports facilities for the local community.
At the time of writing, it has over 2,500 signatures.
If the application was approved, Bail’s fifth point called for financial compensation for residents because of the disruption more events would cause, like a tax rebate.
She said: “If you’re not able to access your home for a month a year and you pay 12 months’ worth of council tax, what happens then?”
Under the proposed plans, Allianz Stadium would hold events for around 40 days a year.
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is a not-for-profit organisation which runs the stadium and one of its roles is to put money into rugby unions across England.
Around 85% of that funding comes from Allianz Stadium alone, according to stadium development director Alex Cohen.
He said: “You can understand the critical importance the stadium plays within the financial ecosystem of rugby union in England.
“It’s absolutely intrinsic to its existence.”
The stadium has been subject to wear and tear over decades of use and is no longer up to the RFU’s standards, nor does it provide the customer experience that people are accustomed to.
The money raised from increasing non-sporting events would help achieve this, but Cohen recognises the impact it will have on the area.
He said: “We are absolutely not naive to the fact that we need to look after our local community.
“We don’t take that responsibility lightly.”
The RFU claimed 63% of people who live within a 15-minute walk of the stadium are in favour of their proposal, though anti-social behaviour is one point of contention – especially with the new 10.30pm curfew.
It has been a common occurrence in Twickenham after rugby days to see people throwing up or urinating on the streets or in resident’s gardens, and the fear is a lack of visibility during the night would exacerbate this problem.
However, for non-controversial artists, the volume of alcohol drunk at a concert compared to a rugby day is significantly lower, according to the RFU’s data.
Some concerts have had no anti-social behaviour complaints at all.
But Bail said that many residents do not report these incidents because they feel that nothing gets done.
She said: “There’s a degree of people feeling ‘what’s the point?’
“Somebody shouldn’t have to step through a pile of sick to get onto the pavement.”
The RFU has also been working with Richmond Council to introduce more civil enforcement officers.
They have been in use for nearly a year and can give out fines for anti-social behaviour, which Cohen said has been very effective.
When asked what the future of Allianz and Twickenham being the home of English rugby looks like, both were steadfast in their beliefs.
Bail said: “[Allianz] has no cap on sporting events so they can have as many as they like.
“[I wouldn’t necessarily have an issue with it] because it’s daytime, and daytime versus nighttime is a very different animal.”
Cohen said: “We would have to consider all options. If we can’t look after the stadium to the degree it needs then we have a problem.
“[Currently] we have no plans to move. We’ve been here since 1909 – this is our home.”
The UK has a growing market for live stadium events and while Twickenham does not have the reputation of the O2 or Wembley just yet, it is not stopping the RFU from making those first steps.
Cohen said: “Tottenham didn’t have any concerts five years ago because they didn’t have a stadium but they put themselves on the map.
“We’ll do the same.”
Featured image credit: Susu Anitche
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