It’s been a long time coming

Eight years ago, this month relationships between the club, the stadium owners and the council reached their lowest point resulting in the club being forced to relocate to Tooting and Mitcham, triggering the countdown to the potential permanent loss of a South London football institution.

Being late to the arena it was clear to me that all parties had inherited a dysfunctional situation that was not of their making and it was that realisation that led me to take over the club in the belief that everyone involved wanted a positive outcome for the club and the community if a vision for the Champion Hill site could be presented that would benefit all concerned.

Eight years later that vision has taken its biggest step towards reality. Work has begun on the development that will help the council deliver on its commitment for housing and regeneration, return the club to playing in a stadium it owns and deliver a return on a long-term investment for the stadium owners. The prospect of an investment company realising a profit does not sit well with some but the reality is that local authorities do not have the funds to deliver the homes their growing communities need and without private finance housing shortages and affordability will only become worse and without the support of both the council and the stadium owners the club would not have been able to navigate its way to sustainability through a challenging few years.

But now is the time to look forward, the demolition of the first section of the ground has literally paved the way to implementing our planning consent and work has already begun on the preparatory work for phases 2 and 3 so there is no question of us resting on our laurels after completing phase 1. Our journey is now mapped out and we can look forward to taking, in turn, each of the following steps.

Phase 1: Demolition of Store Building and Site Preparation for Telecom Mast

Phase 2: Relocation of Telecoms Mast

Phase 3: Football Pitch and Stands

Phase 4: Stadium Building Construction

Phase 5: Demolition of Existing Stadium

Phase 6: Construction of Residential Accommodation and Kick About area and structures

While the direction is set the timeline does have a few gaps we are working to close but with phase 1 already under our belt we can finally stop asking ‘when will we start?’ and start thinking about when we will finish.

This is a homecoming

If there were not potentially serious legal repercussions to misleading our community I would have found most of the attempts to oppose or discredit our proposed development somewhat amusing.

Chief among the claims are the nature and status of the section of Green Dale Fields that will become our new pitch and terraces. Whether you believe it is a dangerous and derelict former astroturf pitch or a valuable resource for the local community, the one thing you cannot ignore is its origin as the home of our football stadium before our move to the current location. The flat playing surface and the steep grass banks are not a naturally occurring phenomenon they are the pitch and the terraces of Dulwich Hamlet FC of days past. Our development does not encroach on a park or re-landscape a natural resource we are developing a new football ground on the site of our old football ground. We are going home.

The history of Green Dale Fields has been one of sporting provision for many years and encompasses the areas owned by the Dulwich Estate and those owned by London Borough of Southwark. Their deterioration is not to be celebrated, the loss of tennis courts, football pitches and school sports fields over recent decades has resulted in a decrease in sporting provision without any commensurate increase in anything of comparable value to the community. The reports submitted by independent experts during our planning process concluded that the area was of no ecological value undermining any arguments that nature has benefitted from the absence of use by the community for organised sports. The club’s efforts and investment in bringing the Green Dale fields owned by Dulwich Estate back into active use have seen hundreds of local people participating in sport, this development will allow us to do the same again for another derelict section.

The area of Green Dale Fields owned by the council which was not part of our old football ground will remain untouched (again contrary to untrue comments from those who made misleading claims that the whole of Green Dale was being developed) and this development is a chance to protect those open spaces around the new stadium with the club acting as a willing partner to improving the ecological value of the area, delivering sporting provision on areas intended for that purpose while leaving other areas free for nature to thrive, hopefully better than it has to date.

Delivering on the promise of regeneration

Dulwich Hamlet Football Club is not just the emotional centre of the community on match days, we take our geographical position in the centre of our community very seriously and our staff and volunteers regularly experience first-hand why the regeneration of the area is so high on the list of priorities of our local residents.

We are currently the custodians of a large 18 acre site that runs from the entrance to Sainsbury’s on Dog Kennel Hill through to the top of Green Dale Fields that reach as far as the railway bridge between East and North Dulwich. It is an area with challenges, we have dealt with hate crimes, assaults, muggings, fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour and the footpaths that run through our land are sadly considered unsafe to walk by many.

Attempts to improve the safety and accessibility of the area have been met with organised opposition. Fences have been methodically cut, additional lighting has been blocked, cutting back of brush has been violently opposed, all the recommendations of the police have been fought, leading to an increase in dissatisfaction within a majority of the community who rightly complain about the lack of management in the area and its impact on safety for residents. The club has felt in a no-win situation in recent years knowing that every effort to improve the area will be met by opposition and support in equal measure and I have experienced first-hand the abuse and threats when trying to manage overgrown areas to keep the pathways clear.

This development is a chance to lay all of that to rest and deliver on this council’s commitment to regeneration. We want people to feel comfortable in their community, to be able to walk from East Dulwich Grove to Dog Kennel Hill without fearing for their safety, we want the area to be served by a combination of sports facilities and new parks, we want a beautiful green chain to connect East and North Dulwich accessible to all, free from crime and anti-social behaviour. We want local residents of all ages to leave their homes and walk in any direction they please without worrying about which is the safest route.

It started with our will to deliver something better. The club wants to be at the heart of something positive not in the middle of an eyesore we can do little to fix without this development. This is a new stadium, new housing, a new park and a new start, it is, literally, a regeneration.

Delivering facilities for the community

In addition to delivering housing and security of tenure for the football club our scheme has been designed to deliver improved facilities in the new stadium and an improved environment in the surrounding areas:

• 60% increase in seating capacity for supporters who prefer to sit at matches.
• Improved accessibility and increased capacity for supporters with disabilities or other access requirements.
• Stepped terracing on all other sides of the ground to improve sight lines surrounded by a concourse to improve circulation and match day experience.
• Increase in match day clubhouse facilities to accommodate more supporters.
• Improved player facilities to meet safeguarding requirements and increase the number of teams who can use the sporting provision at the same time.
• New dedicated facilities to support local arts and cultural groups and activities.
• New dedicated facilities for functions and local community groups to use.

Beyond the stadium our goals for regeneration and increased sporting provision will also see us work to deliver:

• Continued investment in the sporting fields adjacent to the new stadium to further increase the level of access to the community.
• Development of the linear park to run from St Francis Park to the Green Dale Fields to regenerate one of the hardest to maintain areas of our community.
• Creation of the largest sporting facility open to the local community in the area with four full size pitches all serving different functions including the ability to support multiple sports.

Development schemes of this scale are a once in a generation opportunity and it is the aim of the football club to ensure we deliver the greatest possible benefit to the widest possible section of the population, increasing our work with local schools, sports teams and community groups.

As custodians of the club our objective is to preserve the football club for the next generation and enshrine its position as an active and positive participant in the community.

These notes origianlly appeared in the Whitehawk Programme.