Those who do not know the battle Brighton & Hove Albion went through to build the Amex Stadium may have been taken by surprise at the number of tributes paid by Seagulls supporters to former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott after he passed away aged 86.
But in a parallel universe were there is no Mr Prescott, Brighton do not get initial planning permission to construct a new ground.
The Albion remain at Withdean indefinitely. Tony Bloom never invests. No Premier League football. No Europa League football. Maybe even no Brighton at all if being homeless eventually drove the club to financial ruin.
By the time Mr Prescott entered the story, Brighton had already been fighting for the best part of five years to build at Falmer.
A majority of Brighton & Hove residents backed the site for a new Albion stadium in a referendum in May 1999. By October 2001, Dick Knight and Martin Perry submitted a planning application to Brighton & Hove Council.
The Council voted 11-1 in favour of the stadium in June 2002. Two months later and the government called the plans in for a public inquiry, led by Charles Hole.
It would be 18 months before Hole gave his verdict. Ignoring the hundreds of thousands of letters written and signatures gathered in support, the initial council decision, the referendum and public opinion, Mr Hole came out against the stadium. He said the case for denying permission was overwhelming.
Attention therefore turned to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Would Mr Prescott side with the planning inspector or ignore the public inquiry and give Falmer the green light?
Brighton fans subsequently launched a charm offensive. Flowers were delivered to Mr Prescott and a giant card arrived on Valentine’s Day at his constituency office.
Supporters of other clubs sent so many emails that the DPM office server crashed under the sheer weight of correspondence. Fans United in all its glory.
The 2004 Division Two playoff final between Brighton and Bristol City was turned into a giant propaganda event. Brighton sections of the Millennium Stadium were covered in banners urging John Prescott to approve the new stadium.
Two months later and Mr Prescott announced a second public inquiry would be held. But with a twist turning the tide in favour of the Albion.
Whereas the original focussed solely on building a stadium at Falmer, the question second time around was whether a better alternative site existed.
It was an acknowledgement that whilst building on the then-proposed South Downs National Park was not ideal and went against government regulations, those factors could be overruled if it were the best option.
The onus now was on the Albion to prove Falmer was the only viable site. Those against the stadium had to make the case for Beeding Cement Works, Sheepcote Valley or somewhere else.
Mr Prescott eventually gave permission for the new stadium following the second public inquiry on Friday 28th October 2005.
In doing so, he took the highly unusual step of overruling the advice of two planning inspectors and his own government’s planning policy
Needless to say, that made the decision highly contentious. The chief executive of the South Downs Joint Committee told the BBC at the time: “It is clear that the secretary of state has failed to follow his own government’s planning policy.”
“The implications of this decision are very worrying for all organisations involved in caring for protected landscapes.”
“It demonstrates that the government is willing to set aside strict national planning policies in favour of local considerations.”
The Campaign to Protect Rural England added: “This decision is a shameful abdication of responsibility in the face of emotional and political pressure.”
“What is the point of the government drawing boundaries around protected countryside if it is simply going to ignore them?”
The statement confirming Mr Prescott’s ruling said there were “no other realistic alternative sites where the need for the stadium could be met” and that this outweighed the potential harm to the South Downs.
Dick Knight wrote about Mr Prescott after the decision: “I described the decision as our greatest home win of all time – although I didn’t expect it to take seven years setting up the chance for that mercurial left winger from Hull to bang the ball into the net for the winner!”
“I’d like to pay tribute to Mr Prescott. It hasn’t been an easy decision for him to make, especially when you consider the outcome of the first public inquiry.”
“But he’s had the courage to understand that our city needs a stadium and that Falmer is the only realistic site for it.”
John Prescott received a standing ovation from the Withdean crowd two months later when watching his beloved Hull City lose 2-1 against Brighton at the Theatre of Trees.
His long-standing popularity amongst Albion fans comes as no surprise. But it was reciprocated back; Prescott apparently becoming rather fond of the way Brighton supporters had lobbied him over Falmer.
One famous story involves him being accosted at a climate change summit. Forget global warming, what is going on with Falmer? “Everywhere I go there are bloody Seagulls supporters,” he is quoted as saying with a smile on his face.
The battle to build the Amex was not quite done with Mr Prescott of course. Falmer Parish Council, the South Downs Society and Lewes District Council launched a legal challenge. The Deputy Prime Minister’s decision was subsequently quashed by the High Court.
Liberal Democrat MP for Lewes Norman Baker even tried to insinuate Mr Prescott had been “bought off” by attending that aforementioned Championship match between Brighton and the Tigers.
Mr Baker said it was “outrageous” the Deputy Prime Minister had been treated to hospitality in the glamorous setting of the Withdean boardroom
Prescott’s response was along the lines of “You think I can be bought by a lamb shank in a portacabin?” The same sort of no-nonsense line he used after punching a protestor who threw eggs at him in the 2001 general election campaign, telling Tony Blair: “You asked me to connect with the electorate!”
Eventually, it fell to Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Hazel Blears to give the final green light to the Amex Stadium in July 2007.
Even then, Falmer Parish Council and the South Downs Society tried to fight on in court before admitting defeat one month later.
The Amex eventually held its first competitive game in August 2011. 14 years after the Goldstone Ground was sold by Bill Archer, Greg Stanley and David Bellotti. And 12 after Knight first revealed the club’s plans to build at Falmer.
Mr Prescott could have killed the project after either public inquiry. Or if he listened to the two planning inspectors who said the scheme shouldn’t go ahead. Or if he had obeyed planning regulations. Or if he heeded guidance around building in national parks.
His desire to see Brighton benefit from a new stadium in the same way Hull had when moving from Boothery Park to the KC Stadium ensures John Prescott an important place in Albion history.
RIP – and thank you.
