The Rugby Football Union is hopeful that a proposed overhaul of Twickenham rail station and the deployment of undercover police officers on matchdays will help to sway opponents of plans to host more concerts to pay for the £660m stadium upgrade.
The union is seeking to increase the number of non-sporting events held at Twickenham each year from three to 15 in order to pay for the stadium overhaul, but it encountered a roadblock last year when Richmond council expressed “significant concerns” over transport links. The council also determined in October that a limit of three concerts – and only one not on a Saturday – would remain as part of its new licence amid considerable opposition from residents.
On Tuesday, the RFU will seek to convince residents at a drop-in session where new plans will be revealed. The Guardian understands they include a revamp of Twickenham station which could double the number of passengers per train and the presence of “plain clothes officers” – including a mix of police and stewards – and the introduction of “civil enforcement officers” in an effort to tackle antisocial behaviour.
The RFU intends to resubmit planning and licensing applications – after local elections have taken place in May – and is optimistic that previous hurdles can be overcome. In November the RFU chief executive, Bill Sweeney, said: “We’ve laid out very clearly for [Richmond council] what it means for us. Those events are essential for us if we’re to reinvest in the stadium and the stadium needs reinvestment to keep pace with other stadiums. It’s not a grandstanding negotiation tactic. We need those in order to justify the investment into the stadium. They understand that. They want us to stay. And our plan A is to stay. We contribute over £90m to the local economy and well over £100m to the greater London economy. They want us to stay here but purely from a financial validity point, it’s essential we get those extra events. I’m confident.”
Last year the RFU submitted written evidence to a culture, media and sport committee inquiry, citing “several millions of pounds” in lost revenue due to closures or restrictions because of engineering works, highlighting the overreliance on the rail station on matchdays. Around 38,000 spectators use Twickenham rail station – 45% of attendees – leading to road closures of up to three and a half hours after matches have finished. It is understood that only around 2% use the district and Piccadilly Tube lines from Richmond and Hounslow East, respectively. Through better education and the use of LED signage, the union is hoping to increase that to around 10%.
As revealed by the Guardian in October, the RFU’s plans to host more concerts hit a setback when Richmond council decided to keep the limit of three a year, including, significantly, only one not on a Saturday. The most up to date planning permission also allows for only three a year but does not restrict on what days of the week they can be. Sweeney has previously lamented how “we could have had Beyoncé but she wanted three nights and we are only allowed two nights consecutively”.
At the licensing subcommittee meeting, 192 representations were heard against the RFU’s proposal, 13 in favour. Much of the opposition centres around antisocial behaviour and, as revealed previously by the Guardian, the RFU has gone as far to suggest the use of “anti-pee paint”, which would leave public offenders “covered in their own urine”. Introducing undercover officers is an attempt to further tackle antisocial behaviour, while there are also plans to use temporary barriers in local alleyways to prevent unauthorised access and to ensure fixed penalty notices are issued to offenders.
The RFU’s application is running in two parallel parts: licensing and planning. In effect, the union failed with its licensing application while in its exploratory planning application, Richmond council determined that further investigation was needed, in the main due to transport concerns. The RFU is seeking to address those concerns with an overhaul of the queueing system at Twickenham rail station which could shorten the length of road closures, better dialogue with South West Trains and more efficient use of other transport networks before resubmitting its applications.
The union is frustrated that venues such as Wembley and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium are able to stage lucrative concerts because of looser restrictions on non-sporting events. Sweeney has previously hinted that the RFU could leave Twickenham and move to either Milton Keynes or Birmingham if the union does not get its wish over more concerts.
