Wembley – A Clear

Vision

For DIGITAL
BIRMINGHAM

July 2009
 Wembley – A clear vision

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 Wembley – A clear vision

Wembley – A Clear Vision

Contents

1. Introduction.................................................................................................. .........................2
2. Background ................................................................................................. .........................2
2.1 Quintain..................................................................................................... ........................2
2.2 A Clear Vision...................................................................................... ..............................2
3. History............................................................................................................................ ........4
4. The Site............................................................................................................ ......................4
4.1 The Area........................................................................................................ ....................4
4.2 Scale............................................................................................................................... ...6
4.3 Organisation........................................................................................... ...........................6
4.4 Quintain’s Regeneration Principles................................................................. ...................6
5. Objectives............................................................................................................. .................7
6. Funding.................................................................................................................. ................9
7. Quantain’s Press Reports........................................................................................... ........10
.................................................................................................................................. ...............10
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 Wembley – A clear vision

1.Introduction

This report contains initial research on the timescales, planning with respect to Brent
Councils regeneration of the new -Wembley area and Wembley City.

On review of the Mater Plan and discussion with the council with respect to any ‘fibre
plans’, this is currently viewed as an ‘aspiration’ and while the developer is laying some
fibre the council do not see this as being ‘joined up’ and there is no reference to a NGA
strategy in the Master Paln

However, Quitain has provided 100mbs to the home within the Wembley City
development. Velocity1 is a joint venture between Quintain and Industria.
– see press reports in Annex 1.

2.Background

On Friday 31 October 2003, Quintain Estates and Development plc – the owners of
much of the land surrounding the new National Stadium – submitted a planning
application to Brent Council. The application included plans for thousands of new jobs
and homes with improved local facilities and major new areas of safe and welcoming
open space.

The application was mainly for ‘outline’ planning permission to establish the principles
of such a regeneration. Details such as the exact design of each building will follow ed
later.

Brent Council consulted on these plans before making a decision in 2004.

The overall timescale for completing the vision is next 20 years.

2.1Quintain

Quintain, a British property development and investment company listed on the

London Stock Exchange purchased their first landholdings at Wembley in August
2002 and own the 55 acres of land surrounding – but not including – the new
National Stadium.

2.2A Clear Vision

In late 2002, Brent Council published ‘Our Vision for a New Wembley’ which
outlined the Council’s long-term aspirations for the area as follows:

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 Wembley – A clear vision

• A new modern, urban and exciting place with the National Stadium as its
centrepiece
• High quality, state of the art, leisure, business and retail facilities
• A centre for work with a wide range of job opportunities
• A mixture of quality housing
• A world class destination providing a wealth of opportunity for local people

These plans are designed to deliver the first phase of Wembley’s regeneration
and to act as a catalyst for the improvement of the wider ‘Wembley Regeneration
Area, shown in yellow.

Since then Quatain have been exploring with the Council how their designs can
best integrate with and be a catalyst for, future development. Various options for
the wider Wembley Masterplan Framework Area are with the Council and they
will be consulting on these separately.

Having reviewed the master plan there is not mention of ‘Next Generation Access’ or
any kind of ‘fibre’ plans. This was also confirmed on discussion with the council.

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 Wembley – A clear vision

3.History

Wembley has a unique place in the UK’s history and is known throughout the
world. It hosted a major park, theatre and funfair in the late nineteenth century,
the British Empire Exhibition in 1924-5, the Empire Games in 1934, the Olympics
in 1948, the World Cup final in 1966, the Eurovision Song Contest in 1978, the
Euro ‘96 Championships and much in between.

Today, the Wembley complex – the Arena, Conference Centre and Exhibition
Halls – host over 300 national and international events each year, welcoming 1.5
million visitors to Wembley. The new National Stadium, due to open in 2006, is
estimated to bring a further 2.5 million visitors a year to the area.

Wembley is one of the most culturally diverse areas in the UK and the scheme
will welcome all of Brent’s communities. It is an endeavour of the regeneration
to ensure this diversity is reflected and that everyone has access to the jobs and
opportunities created. We are already working to become an active member of
the community and are developing close links with the various local groups and
other relevant organisations.

4.The Site

4.1The Area

Quintain owns over 55 acres surrounding, but not including, the new National
Stadium. It includes Wembley Arena, Wembley Conference and Exhibition
Centre, Elvin House, the Palace of Arts and the Palace of Industry.

Already playing host to millions of visitors each year, the land offers huge scope
to create a new environment for the Stadium, Arena and other facilities as well as
providing new jobs, new homes and safe and welcoming public spaces.

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4.2Scale

Much of this information is not easily available.

TOTAL PLANNING AREA:

85 acres of land around the iconic Wembley Stadium

HOUSING: Homes for 8,500 people & 40% affordable housing

INCREASE IN GREEN SPACES:

NEW FACILITIES:

NEW JOBS GENERATED: 6,100 jobs

INVESTMENT IN INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN:

4.3Organisation

In the master plan the council made the prevision for some compulsory purchase on top
of the land owned by Quantain and other private development.

4.4Quintain’s Regeneration Principles

1. Deliver sustainable long term regeneration – we will be in Wembley for the

long term.

2. Create thousands of new jobs – and put in place schemes to ensure local
people benefit.

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 Wembley – A clear vision

3. Deliver high quality new homes – to help meet the housing need in Brent.

4. Create high quality new open spaces – to provide safe, welcoming and
attractive meeting places and a focus for community events.

5. Deliver new leisure and cultural facilities – including a new cinema and
facilities for young people.

6. Keep events coming to Wembley – and allow the area to benefit from its
millions of visitors each year.

7. Provide an appropriate setting for the Stadium – so that it fits in with its
surroundings.

8. Utilise top quality design – the Application is designed by the world-renowned

Richard Rogers Partnership.

5.Objectives

The Proposal of the ‘outline’ planning application is to deliver thousands of jobs

and homes with massively improved local facilities, bringing £150 million extra
each year into the local economy.

• 6,100 jobs
• Offering long-term employment to local people.
• These are in addition to the 1,600 construction jobs created.
• Currently the site provides the equivalent of only 690 full-time jobs.
• Homes for 8,500 people & 40% affordable housing
• Upto 3,727 new homes providing a range of studios and 1, 2, 3 and 4
bedroom apartments at first floor level and above, around a series of
residential courtyards.
• 40% affordable housing, the details of which will be agreed as part of the
planning process.

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• Student accommodation for 554 students, 90 nursing care bed spaces

and 20 bed spaces for people with special needs.

Wembley Park Boulevard

• As wide as Regent Street, with a range of restaurants, cafés, bars, leisure
facilities and shops opening out onto tree lined pavements.
• This will be pedestrianised and closed to through traffic, apart from taxis,
cyclists and buses – the first time public transport has penetrated the heart of
this site.

Arena Square
• Comparable in size to Leicester Square with the feel of Covent Garden and
providing a spectacular setting for the refurbished Arena.
• A focal point for open-air performance arts to complement the Arena.

Stadium Piazza
• The area immediately surrounding the new National Stadium.
• Providing more public space with cafés, bars and community uses.

A new cinema and other leisure facilities

• 147,000 square feet (13,700 square metres) for new leisure facilities.
• Focused in a major new facility for Brent and London, including a new multiplex
cinema with other facilities such as ten pin bowling, bingo, a climbing wall and a
nightclub.

New shops – local shops, sports retailing and designer outlets

• 153,000 square feet (14,200 square metres) for designer outlets.
• 127,000 square feet (11,800 square metres) for sports retailing.
• 86,000 square feet (8,000 square metres) for stores for the local community
living and working on the site.
• These will reflect the diversity of the local population and draw more shoppers
into Wembley.

New restaurants, cafés and bars

• Covering 137,000 square feet (12,700 square metres).
• Providing a range of quality and value eating and drinking with a wide choice to
suit different tastes and cultures.

New community facilities

• 88,000 square feet (8,200 square metres) of space for community facilities.
• These could include crèches and nurseries, health provision and doctors’
surgeries, and space for arts, sports and cultural activities.

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A new future for Wembley Arena

• Over £20 million to refurbish and update Wembley Arena – Europe’s most
successful arena hosting 140 events this year – restoring the splendour of its
original architecture.
• A spectacular new entrance for the building onto Arena Square.

New offices and workspace

• 678,000 square feet (63,000 square metres) of office space.
• To attract a range of small companies and large businesses alike, particularly in
growing sectors such as business services and the creative industries.

A new hotel
• A new flagship 400 bedroom, international standard hotel.
• Providing active frontages to both Stadium Piazza and Arena Square

6.Funding
It is envisaged that the majority of development will come forward through private
developers in a co-ordinated approach in line with the core objectives of the master
plan. The Council will have to achieve its wider economic, social, community and
sustainability objectives mainly from that development and to use such funding
creatively to attract other sources of funding.

Main sources of funding could include:

_ S106 funding through Standard Charge or by direct developer provision.

_ Growth Area Funding or other Government programs.

_ Council’s Capital Program.

_ Greater London Authority including Transport for London.

_ Other Agencies: e.g. Primary Care Trust, Lottery.

_ Direct Government funding through education and other programs.

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7.Quantain’s Press Reports

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Quintain Estates is in the process of building 12,000 apartments in a development known as

Wembley City. The first 286 dwellings were completed in October 2008.

Fast boosts

Alongside Wembley City's state of the art recycling system is fibre-to-the-home technology
which feeds a whopping 100Mbps into every flat.

A third of the apartments are occupied and among the private tenants there is almost
100% take-up of the fibre service, dubbed Velocity 1.

The other apartments are owned by local housing

associations and even among the more cash-strapped
tenants there has been a 70% take-up.

The company is not offering 100Mb as a standard package

though.

James Saunders, managing director of commercial

ventures at Quintain explained why.
Wembley City will eventually have 12,000
new homes

"It would drastically raise operating costs and most people don't need it so we don't think
that always-on 100Mbps is the answer at the moment," he said.

Instead people are offered a variety of broadband bundles of 8Mbps (£15.99 a month),
16Mbps (£25.99) and 32Mbps (£35.99).

All come with the option to boost the speed up to 100Mbps for a period of half an hour at a
cost of £1, with each package offering some free boosts. The boosts are activated by a click
on the Velocity 1 website.

The packages also come bundled with TV services, some free landline phonecalls and free
IT support, including a 9-5 onsite engineer.

Urban economics

There is also access to a community TV channel which offers local information including
promotions and last-minute deals at the nearby Wembley Arena and Wembley Stadium.

There are no plans to extend the fibre to the homes surrounding Wembley City.

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"We would have to dig up roads and rewire their buildings and it starts losing economic
sense," said Mr Saunders.

There are other new build projects under development, with sites in the pipeline in
Greenwich and Bristol.

Mr Saunders said that, for the time being, the fibre

scheme is likely to be confined to urban areas.

Residents of Wembley City can pay £1 to

upgrade their broadband connection to
100Mb for 30 minutes

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