Examination of Witnesses (Questions 20
- 39)
MONDAY 13 MAY 2002
MR MICHAEL
CUNNAH AND
MR DAVID
JAMES
20. Was that ever negotiated?
(Mr Cunnah) Yes but, being strictly accurate,
never concluded.
21. You were in discussions with the Hilton?
(Mr Cunnah) Yes.
22. Presumably that would have required some
further payment of money?
(Mr Cunnah) Not necessarily.
23. As far as the rest of the title that you
have though, apart from that restriction which you have mentioned,
there is no other restriction that you are aware of?
(Mr Cunnah) The only other restriction
was from some of the land that Wembley Plc own. WNSL need to access
that land during the construction period in order for the construction
to have sufficient space.[7]
24. I will come to that in a second. I have not
checked the titles, I am not sure I would be competent to, I am
a Scottish solicitor, I have no experience of English property
law, but my advice is that there is a requirement that if building
work does not start before a certain date then a proportion of
the land must be returned to Wembley Plc?
(Mr Cunnah) That is correct.
25. That is a restriction on the title, is it
not?
(Mr Cunnah) That is the option I have
just referred to.
26. Can you tell us when that condition comes
into effect?
(Mr Cunnah) December 2002.
27. If you have not started construction by December
2002 a part of the land has to revert?
(Mr Cunnah) That is correct.
28. Will that make it possible to build the stadium
in the future?
(Mr Cunnah) Not in the present design.
29. We will have to start from scratch again.
(Mr Cunnah) I would have to take advice.[8]
Chairman
30. Can I just interrupt. I know you have a line
of questioning, Frank, and you can proceed with that. Let us be
very clear about this. What you are saying is there is a restriction
that is such that if building has not started by December of this
year you have to go back to the drawing board?
(Mr Cunnah) We have to revise our plans,
yes.
31. Is the Secretary of State aware of that?
(Mr Cunnah) Yes, she is.
Mr Doran
32. You have no idea how much land is involved?
I appreciate you have not been primed for this question so you
may have to check.
(Mr Cunnah) I cannot give you that information
now but we can follow it through.
33. My understanding is it is 7 acres of the
site. You would not demur from that because you do not know?
(Mr Cunnah) Correct.[9]
34. You mentioned the question of Wembley Plc,
I am not sure if I am using the correct title for the company,
you know the company that I mean, you mentioned a question about
access rights and that sort of thing. Reading the Tropus report,
and I only had this for an hour this afternoon, there seems to
be a suggestion that the plans as they have proceeded require
more land than was actually purchased from Wembley Plc and there
is a suggestion that relations between the company and Wembley
National Stadium Limited are not good at all?
(Mr Cunnah) It is fair to say in any
neighbour relationship sometimes there are some rocky patches.
I would say that relations at the moment are particularly good
and we have worked very productively recently in order to achieve
our objectives.
35. You have good relations with Wembley at the
moment?
(Mr Cunnah) With Wembley Plc, yes, we
do.
36. Wembley Plc, sorry. You have good relations
with them. Whatever statement is made in this report would not
be accurate?
(Mr Cunnah) No longer.
37. My understanding of the title condition is
that all plans and work programmes for the building of the stadium
have to be approved and agreed with Wembley Plc, is that the case?
(Mr Cunnah) That is the correct.
38. Can you tell me what stage you have reached
as far as that is concerned?
(Mr Cunnah) They have approved it.
39. They have approved it?
(Mr Cunnah) They have.
7 See Q4 and related note. Back
8
See Q4 and related note. Back
9
See Q4 and related note. Back
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