Taking a line with revellers
TOUGHER RULES ON TWICKENHAM STADIUM AFTER COMPLAINTS OF DRUGS AND PUBLIC URINATION
COMPLAINTS about people taking drugs, urinating in public and dropping litter, have led to Twickenham Stadium having restrictions slapped on its licence.
Lots of residents complained especially about the Eminem concert in July, which they said led to more antisocial behaviour in the area than other events, with many complaining about drugs and public urination, and one resident saying his pregnant wife was verbally abused.
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) applied to simply include the newly renovated east stand in the stadium’s previous licence, but after a four-hour hearing by Richmond Council and 85 official objections from residents, it ended up suggesting many of the new conditions itself.
At least two of the three concerts each year must be held on a Saturday.
Extra security measures now kick in when 25,000 people are in attendance, down from 35,000.
Street cleaning efforts are to be included as part of the “sanitation plan”.
Hospitality areas in the new east stand on non-game days (eg weddings, functions etc) will stop serving drinks at 1am rather than 2am on Fridays and Saturdays, and once they go past 11pm on any night there will be no more than 1,900 people there.
Councillor Ben Khosa said he had complained about public urination many times, and felt the issue was not being addressed, blaming it on the amount of alcohol stadium-goers were drinking.
A representative for the RFU at the meeting said individuals were responsible for their own actions, but apologised for issues surrounding the Eminem concert.
Councillor Helen Lee-Parsons, chairwoman of the committee that granted the new licence, said: “The licensing sub-committee determined the RFU’s licence should be granted subject to a number of conditions.
“The committee took into account the substantial representations from the local community who expressed concerns about anti-social behaviour and nuisance arising from events.
“The committee welcome the applicants offering extra conditions on its licence in response to residents’ concerns. We are satisfied that the granted licence strikes the right balance.”
The RFU has also said it will investigate whether stewards could issue onthe-spot fines for anti-social behaviour, and there will be more monitoring and training of staff selling alcohol.
An RFU spokeswoman said: “The local community is really important to us as is being a good neighbour. We look at all complaints individually, take each one seriously and make sure that we address any concerns.
“We worked extremely constructively with the council on the license conditions and will continue to collaborate with them on our activity.”