Planning matters

At last week’s Confederation of British Industry (CBI) conference the tourism and hospitality industry was mentioned as having the potential to “light a fire” under the economic revival. Back in May the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) forecast that the UK’s travel and tourism contribution to GDP will grow at an average rate of 3% annually between 2022-2032 equating to a net worth of £286 billion (10.1% of the total economy)[1], noted as nearly twice the forecast 1.7% annual growth rate of the overall UK economy. Such is the world we live in at the moment that much has changed since May and current economic volatility means that any industry growth predictions should be treated with caution. Certainly in the years leading up to the pandemic there was much cause for optimism. Over 2010 to 2019 travel and tourism was the fastest growing sector in the UK in employment terms and its contribution to GDP reached 9.9% (£234.5 billion) in 2019 before collapsing to just 4.3% (£93.8 billion) in 2020[2] – a huge 60% loss. The rolling back of COVID-19 restrictions in 2021 saw the beginning of the “recovery” for travel and tourism with GDP climbing 40% year on year to reach £131 billion, still significantly below 2019 levels. Oxford Economics has predicted that the UK tourism sector as a whole may not recover to 2019 levels until 2025[3]. The are many influencing factors that will determine the industry “bounce back” but one aspect that could see sustained growth is domestic tourism, often referred to as “staycations.” Beleaguered airline operators that have had to (and are likely to continue to) reduce overseas flight numbers during peak trading months, rising flight costs, inflation generally and the cost-of-living crisis, changing weather patterns, and a more competitive domestic holiday sector in terms of experience, value and service means there is a significant opportunity for staycations to become more and more popular. The Government’s Tourism Recovery Plan (2021) highlights that domestic tourism is good for UK businesses and the levelling-up agenda, with domestic visits typically being spread more evenly around the UK compared to inbound international visits that disproportionately benefit London. A survey by Barclays of British holidaymakers and the regions they planned to visit in 2019 demonstrates the wider geographic spread of domestic tourism (Figure 1). One positive of the pandemic has been that it has led to many UK tourists exploring various parts of the UK for the first time so this “spread effect” is likely to have become even more pronounced.   Figure 1 Barclays Survey: UK Regions Holidaymakers Planned to Visit in 2019 Source: 'The Great British Staycations - The growing attraction of the UK for domestic holidaymakers, January 2021 Another really interesting infographic referenced by Skift (below) considered a hypothetical analysis from April 2020 during the pandemic looking at the “winners and losses” from a staycation boom if all international travel demand for a full year was redirected to domestic markets (this considered the current tourism market – domestic travel plus inbound, inbound travel lost and outbound travel gained). Extending the analysis to 37 countries showed that the UK had more to gain than all its overseas competitors, with the exception of China, in converting outbound visitors to domestic visitors.   Figure 2 Total $ gain/loss from all travel going domestic Source: The Winners & Losers of a Staycation World Ahead (skift.com) The aim of the Government in its Tourism Recovery Plan is clear – it wants to “build back better” from the pandemic by promoting innovation and creating an “accessible” and “resilient” tourism industry. Domestic tourism can be the kickstart for the wider UK tourism industry recovery that if successful will naturally encourage international visitors to return, and in greater numbers than before. To this end, the Tourism Recovery Plan recognises “…that whilst London is crucial to the fortunes of the UK’s tourism sector overall, we want the recovery to be swift in every nation and region, and in both urban and rural areas.” So what can the planning sector do to help the domestic tourism sector reach its full potential and drive growth across all parts of the UK in the face of continued economic uncertainty? In my previous tourism research piece in 2020 - Tourism: Retrench and Rebound - I outlined a number of ways the Government needed to act to address pre-existing issues in the tourism sector at the time. Many of these remain and are relevant to boosting domestic tourism; tellingly quite a few were identified in the more recent de Bois Review in August 2021[4] along with a range of other recommendations. The following are key to addressing current inadequacies: Raise the profile of the visitor economy within national government: the de Bois Review is clear that there is insufficient appreciation of the importance and promise of the visitor economy at the top of government which is undermining the success of the tourism industry. For too long the Government has assumed that the tourism industry is relatively successful and will look after itself which has meant the UK has lost ground to other countries. New funding, policy engagement and delivery is needed.  Improved partnership working: more coherency and structural reform is needed across central Government, Local Planning Authorities, Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), Destination Management Organisations (‘DMOs’) and other public bodies. This should identify clear lines of responsibility and accountability to ensure the various bodies are clear on their remit and efficient in delivering outputs. Engaging private and public sector investors is also important to ensuring tourism initiatives are workable and meet the needs of the market. Early engagement with investors and developers is key and, in turn, investors and developers need to promote their plans and roles in the area and be a “voice” for tourists. Establish positive, flexible planning policy: too often at Lichfields we see draft emerging Local Plans or newly adopted Local Plans where the basis of economic growth is disproportionately reliant on more traditional forms of business development (e.g. office and industrial). Often tourism is seen as a secondary source or in some cases is not mentioned at all. It is essential that emerging planning policy and guidance at national and local levels provides a firm and clear basis for the industry to flourish. This should recognise (and support) that more and more tourist destinations, Resorts and Parks are investing to encourage visits spread across the year, building into the “shoulder” months and increasing guest numbers in the more traditionally “off-peak” periods, to make them more attractive throughout the year. This is critical to remaining competitive. Also, a concerted effort is needed to create more bespoke Destination Management Plans (DMPs), establishing current and future priorities for tourism in areas and clear actions to achieve them.The success of regular investment in tourism is evidential in our planning work with Bourne Leisure and Merlin Entertainments, where regular and new investment in facilities, accommodation and in the case of Merlin, new rides and attractions has allowed sites to flourish and encourage visitors to return.  Spread the opportunities: government support (policy, financial etc.) should be common across all areas of the UK where tourism can make a contribution. This will assist the “levelling up” agenda and play an important role in placemaking and economic regeneration.  Improve data: to assist decisions on how best to develop the visitor economy in local areas, the Government should improve access to quality data. In this regard, the de Bois Review suggests introducing the proposed Tourism Data Hub as a matter of urgency. Opportunities provided by the domestic tourism industry are vast and if managed correctly these have the potential to embed domestic travel as a sustained customer behaviour that drives economic growth across all parts of the UK. Here’s to the staycation! [1] News Article | World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)[2] Travel & tourism's total GDP contribution UK 2021 | Statista[3] Oxford Economics ‘UK Tourism Scenario Forecasts – A report prepared by Tourism Economics for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), March 2021[4] The de Boise Review: an independent review of Destination Management Organisations in England, Nick de Bois for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, August 2021  

Lichfields has extensive experience in the leisure and sports industry. To coincide with the return of Premier League football, over the next few weeks we plan to publish a ‘hattrick’ of football blogs ‘commentating’ (too many puns already?) on (i) how Clubs are increasingly looking at different ways to diversify the use of their stadia, (ii) the factors that influence their stadia development strategies, and (iii) the often overlooked subject of Clubs’ wider role in the community. This blog ‘tackles’ (sorry!) the first subject. Stadia sit at the heart of a football club’s entertainment offer. They are valuable assets on Club’s balance sheets and making the most of (or ‘sweating’) this asset is key to achieving financial sustainability long-term, and justifying the significant financial outlay to build or upgrade stadiums. This also contributes to their role and function in the heart of the community. The new stadium debate - especially for football - is therefore increasingly becoming more about investment returns rather than purely increasing seating capacity. Evolving the football match day experience Clearly sport is big business with a global reach but also with a very local influence. The increasing commercialisation of sport, in particular for football, has meant that fans want more than simply to ‘spectate’, they want a fuller interactive social experience. Digital in-stadia platforms, fan zones providing a vibrant and unifying space for home supporters, and a high quality variety of food and drink offerings are just some of the stadium facilities increasingly expected by the ‘new generation’ of fans. Beyond football The evolution of stadiums is not just about football match days. It’s also about developing the concept of wider stadia use and looking beyond football for new revenue streams, to identify ways to encourage regular footfall, rather than relying on home football games alone. This can involve developing mixed sporting and events venues and a non-match day offer capable of attracting visitors 7 days a week throughout the year. The rapid evolution of hospitality and concourse design is blurring the lines about the function of the space, as it becomes more adaptable, opening up more opportunities to develop a non-match offer. The ‘pie and a pint’ football fan mainstay is becoming a thing of the past, replaced with up to the minute bespoke bars and ‘street-style’ food units. The new Tottenham Hotspur FC stadium has been described as the ‘holy grail’ of sports stadium design that ‘kicks’ through convention to create a truly multi-use venue. The architect (Populous) explains that their brief was to design a stadium for the needs of all participants – players, spectators, media and operations – from English Premier League Football, to American Football with National Football League (NFL) specifications plus other codes such as rugby, and other events including major international concerts throughout the year. Figure 1: The New Tottenham Hotspur Football Stadium Source: Populous The stadium is considered the benchmark for true multi-sport/event functionality, made possible by the artificial playing surface that lies 1.5m permanently beneath the natural grass football pitch. The football pitch slides away revealing the playing surface beneath and its additional depth allows the front row of seats to stay in exactly the same position, up close to the action – at pitch-level for football and 6 feet above the game for NFL, meaning that every fan has good sightlines over the entourage of players and coaches on the sidelines. Fulham FC’s (FFC) new Riverside Stand, currently being constructed at Craven Cottage, sets the benchmark for mixed-use stadia design. Lichfields has led the planning and EIA process on behalf of FFC working alongside the architect (Populous, again). Whilst professional football is at the heart of this project, with the highest quality seating and associated match day facilities designed into the stand, it is also about creating a contemporary waterfront destination and a natural social gathering place for the community, attracting visitors every day, all year round. Figure 2: The New FFC Riverside Stand Source: Populous The two-tier stand makes a great contribution to the Thames. It will accommodate approximately 8,650 seats (an increase of 3,900) and integrate facilities in the space behind the seating tier plus a basement, providing around 15,000 sqm of floorspace along with balconies, decked areas, boardwalks and roof gardens. At ground floor level, the concourse on matchdays will provide a general admission area for football supporters and include a café and bar areas. On non-match days it will transform into a premium food hall with a variety of food and beverage options for visitors. In the same way for fans on match days, visitors can spill out onto the new riverside walkway that is to be created, which will also be open to the general public to use, creating a vibrant public realm. The riverside walkway will connect the Thames Path in this location, a significant public benefit of the scheme. Restaurants at first floor level; premium general admission for football fans at the second floor concourse which will also host events and functions (weddings, conferences, local group meetings etc.) on non match days; events, bar and lounge space at third, fourth and fifth floor levels; along with a health club and serviced apartments at multiple levels complete the dynamic mix of uses. Figure 3: Riverside Stand New Riverside Walkway (On a Non-Matchday) Source: Populous Lichfields has also provided planning advice on Ashton Gate Stadium – home to Bristol City FC and Bristol Bears. The stadium has undergone significant redevelopment in past years to increase the seating capacity to 27,000 seats and to improve the range and quality of facilities, including a state-of-the-art conference centre for corporate and private hire, exhibition space and meeting rooms for hire. The stadium also hosts concerts and other events. Plans for a new ‘Sporting Quarter’ to include a sports and convention centre as well as a hotel and residential flats are currently being prepared. The planning challenges Extending the functionality and uses of stadia is an efficient use of (often brownfield) land and can stimulate wider regeneration within an area. However, it can also be perceived as placing additional ‘strain’ on the local area, with amenity and other environmental considerations needing to be addressed to mitigate potential impacts. Councils’ consideration of stadium proposals can often be finely balanced and developing a scheme that: (i) respects the surrounding environment, (ii) promotes the wider social and economic benefits of the project, and (iii) engages key stakeholders early on and throughout the planning process will help to create a positive basis which decision makers can use to support schemes. In the case of FFC’s new Riverside Stand, for example, the site’s location adjacent to the River Thames, public parks and residential properties, along with being adjacent to a main listed stand and within a conservation area, presented challenges to upgrading and expansion. Lichfields advised the Club on the strategy for managing significant interests from residents and local Councillors; rowing and sailing clubs affected by building out into the river – a highly unusual proposition – to provide the new riverside walkway and a larger stand; park users, the Environment Agency, the Port of London Authority and others. The socio-economic benefits case for the new Riverside Stand was key to securing planning permission. Whilst this information needs to be given significant weight in planning decisions for new stadia development, making the case clearly and concisely is critical. Highlighting the community benefits of local investment, employment opportunities, improvements to local community facilities, continued support of local charities and other initiatives run by, or affiliated with, football clubs etc. – helps people to understand the sometimes overlooked wide-ranging and lasting benefits that football clubs bring to their areas and how supporting new development can help secure these benefits for the longer term. It is these messages – i.e. what’s in it for us? – that local Councillors and residents want to understand and, weighed against the environmental impacts, will ultimately influence their decision as to whether, overall, the development is a good thing or not. Figure 4: Lichfields’ Infographic: Economic and Social Impacts of Fulham FC Pre and Post New Riverside Stand   Source: Lichfields With the growing number of football clubs needing to explore how to develop more revenue streams linked to stadium operations on match days and non match days, as well as optimise their important role in the community, establishing at the outset of projects bespoke, effective planning and consultation strategies and clearly explaining all the benefits will be fundamental to smoothing the planning process and enhancing the chances of a successful outcome.