Wednesday 24 June 2015, 6pm
3rd Floor, Lilywhite House, London N17
This meeting was at the invitation of Jonathan Waite, Head of Supporter Services at THFC, following THST’s request for more information around the closure of Paxton Road, the relocation of key facilities and the impact on supporters throughout the 2015/16 season.
3rd Floor, Lilywhite House, London N17
This meeting was at the invitation of Jonathan Waite, Head of Supporter Services at THFC, following THST’s request for more information around the closure of Paxton Road, the relocation of key facilities and the impact on supporters throughout the 2015/16 season.
Attendees:
Katrina Law, Co-Chair,THST
Martin Cloake, Co-Chair,THST
Kevin Fitzgerald, Board Member,THST
Bernie Kingsley, Consultant toTHST
Jonathan Waite, Head of Supporter Services, THFC
Jon Babbs – Stadium Director, THFC
Andrew Downes – Stadium Project Manager, THFC
Adam Davison – Head of Community Relations, THFC
Colm Hartigan – Project Consultant, Movement Strategies
Notes:
This meeting was a follow up to the Police and Safety Forum, which took place on 13 May 2015, minutes of which can be read here.
1. Construction phasing presentation
- Andrew Downes opened up the meeting with a very informative presentation around the construction phasing at White Hart Lane
- It was stressed this is an intense programme and as much enabling work as possible needs to be undertaken within the time available
- The construction site now covers all of the area from Sainsburys/the UTC (where the Club offices are also now located) to Paxton Road and, at the High Road side, further south across Paxton to encompass 'Tottenham Square' and part of the West Stand car park
- Once all of the land needed for the project had been acquired, the priority was to clear and prepare the site
- Preparatory work actually started last summer with the relocation of the electrical sub-station in May 2014
- The closure of Paxton Road was interlinked with the Archway Steel CPO process. Work could not begin on this area until an agreement had been reached
- The formal Stopping Up process with Archway was finalised on 6 June 2015 with the commitment to close Paxton Road made on 1 June after approval from Haringey Safety Advisory Group and other relevant bodies
- When seeking permission to close off Paxton Road, THFC liaised with local schools, Northumberland Park Community School and St Paul and All Hallows Junior school on Park Lane, as well as with Archway Steel to give as much notice as possible
- As White Hart Lane remains a functioning stadium for the next two seasons, new access and exit (ingress and egress) routes needed to be created for supporters
- Due diligence has been taken in terms of maximising the safety of supporters immediately outside the stadium
- Crowd flow has been seriously considered and all are confident this will be manageable
- Four new access routes have been created to filter fans into the stadium. Precise details of these will be communicated to supporters ahead of the start of the season via Club messaging
- These ‘walkways’ will be bordered by continuous rows of hoardings without breaks, in the main, to discourage stopping or pausing. They will be open air, however, without a ‘roof’. Small sections will be palisade type open fencing
- As a result of the increased construction site, Tottenham Square and the Members Bar Marquee have gone, along with vehicle access via Bill Nicholson Way and the ticket collection points on the Paxton Road
- The bus stop outside the temporary shop will be relocated further up the High Road towards Lilywhite House
- The ticketing windows – including StubHub – will be relocated to free standing units in front of the Tottenham Sports Centre (opposite the Bell and Hare)
- Ticket Collection windows including Stub Hub, did create congestion along the road at peak times. Moving this off site will be effective in terms of reducing further overcrowding
- THFC is confident the ticket collection process will be well managed but will monitor in real time and is prepared to change strategy if needed
- Disabled access to the Paxton Road stand was thought to be easier than at present. The Disabled North entrance would now be completely flat as opposed to having to go up steps/ ramp. Access has also been widened to 13m along temporary walkways
- THFC confirmed the Disabled Supporters Association has been consulted and Level Playing Field are aware of the changes
- The stadium can be evacuated safely and quickly in the case of an emergency via the new and existing exits
- All access routes will have 2.2m bollards approved by the Counter Terrorism Security Advisers (CTSA)
- THFC is currently working on a series of initiatives with stadium caterers, Centerplate, designed to encourage early arrival in the stadium to try and spread the flow of fans as widely as possible
- For the 2015/16 Season, supporters will be encouraged to approach the stadium from alternative routes depending on the location of their seats in the ground
- A full communications programme is being planned to ensure all match going fans are aware of the best routes available to them
- That said, there will be no restriction of movement and supporter routes have been designed to flow without steward intervention
- The size of communicating this project was stressed and input from THST was encouraged here
- Route maps, maps with pedestrian walkways and alternative routes would be sent to all ST holders and members later in the summer
2. Construction phasing – spectator access presentation
- Colm Hartigan, Project Consultant for Movement Strategies, then talked through the crowd modelling and safety simulations undertaken when considering the new access routes and impact on ingress and egress caused by the closure of Paxton Road
- Movement Strategies have consulted on the Rugby World Cup and the 2012 Olympics so are experienced in spectator flow and crowd movement
- Colm indicated the increased width of the egress route for Paxton seat holders – 13 metres as opposed to 12.1 metres previously
- This may sound minor but on a site where every inch is fought over, this was significant
- Various simulations had been trialled, including restricting movement right/ left on exiting the stadium
- It was felt there was no tangible impact on flow rates and any restriction on exiting the stadium would have to start on the concourse, where people make a conscious decision to exit left or right
- It was also thought movement restriction would lead to unnecessary confrontation and inconvenience
- As a result, there are no plans to limit movements around the ground
- The new access routes behind the heritage buildings have been assessed for ingress and egress and have met satisfactory levels
- The biggest safety risk at present is fans walking in the bus lane on the High Road. Any new routes should try to alleviate this
- As many people as possible will be encouraged to use the new access routes as this will reduce the number of people walking in the bus lanes
- Emergency evacuation simulations have been undertaken and it is possible to evacuate the North stand via the new access points safely via Bill Nicholson Way
- Supporters will be receiving specific communications around how the changes will impact on their match day experience
- In addition to this, street signage will be in place from White Hart Lane station to the stadium indicating recommended routes to their stands
- Patrons of the East Stand will be encouraged to turn left at the junction with the White Hart Lane and the High Road and walk around the construction site and onto Worcester Avenue to reach the East stand. This is a total walk of 750 metres, only 15 metres longer than walking along the High Road and through the temporary entrance on Bill Nicholson Way
- East stand patrons will also be encouraged to use Northumberland Park, which is a 850m walk
- Those seated in blocks 53-56 of Paxton Road will also be urged to use these routes
- This is in an attempt to reduce the flow of fans using Bill Nicholson Way
- Maps will be provided for supporters in advance of the first game of the season at home to Stoke on 15 August
- THFC is liaising with TFL around the match day train timetable from White Hart Lane station, which is now part of the Overground network, with the timing of any additional trains being scheduled to allow for additional walk time
Action Points
- THST offered to advise and ‘sense check’ supporter communications on this issue
- THST offered to assist THFC in answering fan questions and sharing relevant information with supporters ahead of the start of the new season
- Stadium Director, Jon Babbs, offered further contact during the build process, which was positively received by THST
Meeting concluded at 7.40pm
Katrina Law, Co-Chair,THST
Martin Cloake, Co-Chair,THST
Kevin Fitzgerald, Board Member,THST
Bernie Kingsley, Consultant toTHST
Jonathan Waite, Head of Supporter Services, THFC
Jon Babbs – Stadium Director, THFC
Andrew Downes – Stadium Project Manager, THFC
Adam Davison – Head of Community Relations, THFC
Colm Hartigan – Project Consultant, Movement Strategies
Notes:
This meeting was a follow up to the Police and Safety Forum, which took place on 13 May 2015, minutes of which can be read here.
1. Construction phasing presentation
- Andrew Downes opened up the meeting with a very informative presentation around the construction phasing at White Hart Lane
- It was stressed this is an intense programme and as much enabling work as possible needs to be undertaken within the time available
- The construction site now covers all of the area from Sainsburys/the UTC (where the Club offices are also now located) to Paxton Road and, at the High Road side, further south across Paxton to encompass 'Tottenham Square' and part of the West Stand car park
- Once all of the land needed for the project had been acquired, the priority was to clear and prepare the site
- Preparatory work actually started last summer with the relocation of the electrical sub-station in May 2014
- The closure of Paxton Road was interlinked with the Archway Steel CPO process. Work could not begin on this area until an agreement had been reached
- The formal Stopping Up process with Archway was finalised on 6 June 2015 with the commitment to close Paxton Road made on 1 June after approval from Haringey Safety Advisory Group and other relevant bodies
- When seeking permission to close off Paxton Road, THFC liaised with local schools, Northumberland Park Community School and St Paul and All Hallows Junior school on Park Lane, as well as with Archway Steel to give as much notice as possible
- As White Hart Lane remains a functioning stadium for the next two seasons, new access and exit (ingress and egress) routes needed to be created for supporters
- Due diligence has been taken in terms of maximising the safety of supporters immediately outside the stadium
- Crowd flow has been seriously considered and all are confident this will be manageable
- Four new access routes have been created to filter fans into the stadium. Precise details of these will be communicated to supporters ahead of the start of the season via Club messaging
- These ‘walkways’ will be bordered by continuous rows of hoardings without breaks, in the main, to discourage stopping or pausing. They will be open air, however, without a ‘roof’. Small sections will be palisade type open fencing
- As a result of the increased construction site, Tottenham Square and the Members Bar Marquee have gone, along with vehicle access via Bill Nicholson Way and the ticket collection points on the Paxton Road
- The bus stop outside the temporary shop will be relocated further up the High Road towards Lilywhite House
- The ticketing windows – including StubHub – will be relocated to free standing units in front of the Tottenham Sports Centre (opposite the Bell and Hare)
- Ticket Collection windows including Stub Hub, did create congestion along the road at peak times. Moving this off site will be effective in terms of reducing further overcrowding
- THFC is confident the ticket collection process will be well managed but will monitor in real time and is prepared to change strategy if needed
- Disabled access to the Paxton Road stand was thought to be easier than at present. The Disabled North entrance would now be completely flat as opposed to having to go up steps/ ramp. Access has also been widened to 13m along temporary walkways
- THFC confirmed the Disabled Supporters Association has been consulted and Level Playing Field are aware of the changes
- The stadium can be evacuated safely and quickly in the case of an emergency via the new and existing exits
- All access routes will have 2.2m bollards approved by the Counter Terrorism Security Advisers (CTSA)
- THFC is currently working on a series of initiatives with stadium caterers, Centerplate, designed to encourage early arrival in the stadium to try and spread the flow of fans as widely as possible
- For the 2015/16 Season, supporters will be encouraged to approach the stadium from alternative routes depending on the location of their seats in the ground
- A full communications programme is being planned to ensure all match going fans are aware of the best routes available to them
- That said, there will be no restriction of movement and supporter routes have been designed to flow without steward intervention
- The size of communicating this project was stressed and input from THST was encouraged here
- Route maps, maps with pedestrian walkways and alternative routes would be sent to all ST holders and members later in the summer
2. Construction phasing – spectator access presentation
- Colm Hartigan, Project Consultant for Movement Strategies, then talked through the crowd modelling and safety simulations undertaken when considering the new access routes and impact on ingress and egress caused by the closure of Paxton Road
- Movement Strategies have consulted on the Rugby World Cup and the 2012 Olympics so are experienced in spectator flow and crowd movement
- Colm indicated the increased width of the egress route for Paxton seat holders – 13 metres as opposed to 12.1 metres previously
- This may sound minor but on a site where every inch is fought over, this was significant
- Various simulations had been trialled, including restricting movement right/ left on exiting the stadium
- It was felt there was no tangible impact on flow rates and any restriction on exiting the stadium would have to start on the concourse, where people make a conscious decision to exit left or right
- It was also thought movement restriction would lead to unnecessary confrontation and inconvenience
- As a result, there are no plans to limit movements around the ground
- The new access routes behind the heritage buildings have been assessed for ingress and egress and have met satisfactory levels
- The biggest safety risk at present is fans walking in the bus lane on the High Road. Any new routes should try to alleviate this
- As many people as possible will be encouraged to use the new access routes as this will reduce the number of people walking in the bus lanes
- Emergency evacuation simulations have been undertaken and it is possible to evacuate the North stand via the new access points safely via Bill Nicholson Way
- Supporters will be receiving specific communications around how the changes will impact on their match day experience
- In addition to this, street signage will be in place from White Hart Lane station to the stadium indicating recommended routes to their stands
- Patrons of the East Stand will be encouraged to turn left at the junction with the White Hart Lane and the High Road and walk around the construction site and onto Worcester Avenue to reach the East stand. This is a total walk of 750 metres, only 15 metres longer than walking along the High Road and through the temporary entrance on Bill Nicholson Way
- East stand patrons will also be encouraged to use Northumberland Park, which is a 850m walk
- Those seated in blocks 53-56 of Paxton Road will also be urged to use these routes
- This is in an attempt to reduce the flow of fans using Bill Nicholson Way
- Maps will be provided for supporters in advance of the first game of the season at home to Stoke on 15 August
- THFC is liaising with TFL around the match day train timetable from White Hart Lane station, which is now part of the Overground network, with the timing of any additional trains being scheduled to allow for additional walk time
Action Points
- THST offered to advise and ‘sense check’ supporter communications on this issue
- THST offered to assist THFC in answering fan questions and sharing relevant information with supporters ahead of the start of the new season
- Stadium Director, Jon Babbs, offered further contact during the build process, which was positively received by THST
Meeting concluded at 7.40pm
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