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      My flat overlooks major football stadium – we can watch every game but there’s an unexpected problem about living here

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      FOR die-hard fans, the thought of owning a flat overlooking your team’s football pitch is a dream come true.That was the case for lifelong AFC Wimbledon supporters David Kenwery and Liam Nolan when property adjoining the club’s brand new stadium became available.
      Blocks of flats adjoin the AFC Wimbledon stadium in south west LondonCredit: Rex
      The development was supposed to provide ‘affordable’ homes for people struggling to get on the housing ladder – with the added perk that some flats overlook a football pitchCredit: Olivia West
      The friends bought a fourth floor two-bedroom, two-bathroom flat off-plan built within the grounds of the Cherry Red Records Stadium on Plough Lane – despite the fact neither of them live anywhere near it.
      Offshore wind farm site manager David is based in Hull, while IT consultant Liam, who grew up in the area, now works in Adelaide, Australia. 
      But both men regularly make the trip to south west London to watch the EFL League Two team they have supported for 40 years.
      Flats like David and Liam’s now go for a hefty £570,000 – however David, 60, tells The Sun: “For a football fan, homes built into a ground is about as good as it gets. 
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      “How could I resist having a home next to the ground for match days?”
      But living above AFC Wimbledon’s pitch can come with some strange quirks – including one particular rule.
      On a residents forum for the flats, tenants claim they’re forbidden from hanging washing out on their balconies.
      Some of the flats offer a fantastic view of the pitchCredit: Getty
      Residents of the flashy Stadia apartments say the ground rent has rocketedCredit: Cascade News
      And when we visit, some tell us their ground rent – a maintenance fee for house buyers – has DOUBLED since they moved in, making their monthly costs now the same as a typical mortgage.
      Most read in Football
      Some tenants living in the flashy Stadia apartments run by Galliard Homes claim that as well as coughing up £500 a month in fees, they are being asked to pay a whopping £25,000 to use one of the spaces in the underground car park.
      Meanwhile people living nearby the new stadium claim their weekends can be fraught with hassle, with regular traffic jams and fans blocking drives and using their front gardens as a toilet.

      One young couple said they had paid £750,000 for a three-bedroom flat in the new development, where the shared ownership deals on offer meant some buyers only had to pay a portion of their home’s full value.
      The woman, 27, who declined to give her name, said: “Moving here allowed us to buy our first home so we were happy and grateful for that.
      “But they doubled the ground rent after we moved in, from £350 to £700, which was not what we were expecting.
      “We complained and it has now come down to about £500. But that’s still the same amount that some people will spend on their entire mortgage!”
      Like David and Liam’s, the couple’s apartment has a direct view of AFC Wimbledon’s pitch, which means they get a free view of the team’s games when they play – but they “don’t see it as a perk”.
      Some flat owners have moaned they can’t hang washing on their balconiesCredit: Olivia West
      Traffic can be grid-locked on match daysCredit: Olivia West
      The woman’s partner, also in his 20s, adds: “We can see the pitch from our window but – let’s be honest – they’re not the best football team.
      “Another issue is that they’re demanding £25,000 to buy a parking space in the flats, which is completely unaffordable.
      “And it seems that no-one here wants to pay that as the car park is always empty. It’s ridiculous.”
      Before they were unveiled a few years ago, developers Galliard Homes boasted that around a third of the 604 homes would be available through shared ownership, which would provide “luxury living to all levels of buyers”.
      The fact that a number of the apartments overlooked the football ground was also a key selling point – with AFC Wimbledon fans in particular keen to snap up the homes.
      Emotional return
      The Plough Lane stadium’s completion marked an emotional return for a football club that had been torn away from its natural home since 2002.
      That was the year the Football Association agreed the old Wimbledon F.C. could relocate 60 miles north to Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire to prevent it from going bankrupt.
      The players were dubbed the ‘crazy gang’ in the 1980s because of their FA Cup winning heroics – upsetting Liverpool in the 1988 final – and the antics of club heroes like midfield hardman Vinnie Jones.
      So morphing into a new team called the MK Dons was never going to be accepted by the majority of supporters.
      Those that boycotted the move created AFC Wimbledon in its place and a window of opportunity emerged when Wimbledon Greyhound Stadium closed in 2017.
      The new AFC Wimbledon stadium is built on the site of an old dog trackCredit: Olivia West
      Planning permission was won for a stadium to be built on the 12-acre site just 250 yards from the club’s original ground that closed down 30 years ago.
      Galliard Homes agreed to stump up £14million for the new 9,300 capacity ground on the proviso that a number of apartment buildings would be erected alongside it.
      The company claimed that with one-bedroom flats on offer from £425,000, it would be affordable for both first time buyers and local parents looking for buy-to-let opportunities.
      But the romantic vision of a small club finally finding a home isn’t shared by some who live in the area.
      Adam Pfeiffer, 52, lives on a small private road opposite the new ground and reminisces about the peaceful weekends he used to enjoy before the club returned.
      Mechanic Adam says: “It’s a nightmare living here now and I don’t even like football.
      “The fans take the p***. They park wherever they want and litter all over the street. I regularly spot people using my front garden as a toilet on weekends.”
      On ‘event days’ you have to pay £3.20 for one hourCredit: Olivia West
      Business owners like Andrew Yeates are getting cheesed off with the new stadiumCredit: Olivia West
      Kris McKnight runs BB Plumbers close to the stadium. He says: “The dogs stadium was falling to bits so I guess they needed to do something, but it’s a shame that they got rid of it.
      “It was the last dog track in England and it was a great night out when you won.”
      Business owners are also getting cheesed off with the new stadium because they are now being made to pay £3.20 an hour for parking on match days.
      Andrew Yeates – director of the local Balloon and Kite Company – says: “The only real impact is the parking restrictions.
      “On ‘event days’ you have to pay and display for one hour and that makes parking more difficult. 
      “We have to pay for the hour when we are working and then move it around, or we have to park a long way away.
      “The biggest complaint I have is that you don’t always know when it’s an event day so you can get caught out. If you don’t know, you get a ticket, it’s that simple.”
      ‘Traffic is gridlocked’
      Roldan Aquino says the new development is a nightmare for traffic in the area, which was already congestedCredit: Olivia West
      Roldan Aquino, 50, helps run a food truck opposite the stadium where gourmet burgers cost £9. 
      He says traffic is frequently gridlocked around the new stadium.  
      “It can be a nightmare some days,” he says. “When there are temporary traffic lights here for whatever reason, it completely kills the business – people can’t get through and a 10 minute drive takes about three hours.”
      But not every business owner is downcast about the new development. Ania Ridley, 40, is landlady at the The Corner Pin pub where a pint of lager costs £5.10.
      She says: “I’ve worked here for 21 years and when the stadium was first built, I was worried because we all know what football fans can be like. 
      “But the ones that come here are really nice and polite – they even apologise if they spill their drinks.
      “And the development has brought in new people and younger people into the area, which is great for the pub.
      “It used to be mainly old people popping in for a drink but we have a younger crowd now and they are more likely to spend money.  
      “I think the new flats have given the whole area a boost.”
      The landlady of The Corner Pin pub, Ania Ridley, has welcomed the new developmentCredit: Olivia West
      A spokesperson for Galliard Homes said: “The Wimbledon Grounds development has been a resounding success, offering significant benefits to the local community.
      “One of the notable achievements of this project was the successful return of AFC Wimbledon to Plough Lane, made possible through our financial support and the generous gifting of land to the football club.
      “The Wimbledon Grounds development was undertaken as a joint venture partnership with The Peabody Trust, previously known as Catalyst Housing Association. Due to this partnership, we were able to achieve a significant increase in the number of affordable housing units, rising from an initial 60 to an impressive 181. These units were subsequently transferred to Catalyst Housing Association, who oversaw the sales and management of them as shared equity properties.

      “Parking was offered as an additional cost, due to the limited number of parking spaces available for the private units. Most spaces were held by Catalyst Housing Association for use of the affordable units.
      “The ground rents for the properties were determined in the traditional manner, based on the size of each flat. The initial rate was set at 0.1% of the property price, followed by a nominal peppercorn amount in subsequent years.” More

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      Kalvin Phillips slapped with £60 parking ticket on £270,000 Lamborghini during day out with stunning girlfriend

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      ENGLAND star Kalvin Phillips was slapped with a £60 parking ticket while out with his girlfriend in his £270,000 Lamborghini.The Manchester City midfielder enjoyed a day out with partner Ashleigh Behan in the city centre.
      Kalvin Phillips was slapped with a parking ticketCredit: BackGrid
      The footballer, seen here with Ashleigh, drives a luxury LamorghiniCredit: BackGrid
      But when the couple returned to their vehicle, they found a ticket on their windscreen after parking in a loading bay.
      Phillips was pictured in a black jacket and cap as he smiled while jumping back into his car.
      He drives a luxury Lamborghini Urus, which is valued at £270,000 and can hit 62mph in just 3.6 seconds.
      Phillips has had a tough first season at Manchester City after making a £42million switch from boyhood club Leeds.
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      He has featured just 11 times in all competitions this term.
      The 27-year-old, who earns around £150,000 a week, has also spent two months in the treatment room with a shoulder injury.
      And he is yet to make a Premier League start under boss Pep Guardiola.
      The player returned from the World Cup overweight and was slammed by his manager.
      Most read in Football
      Phillips and partner Ashleigh are childhood sweethearts, who reportedly began dating in 2011.
      When it was announced the midfielder made the England squad for the World Cup last year, Ashleigh revealed she could not contain her delight.
      She told The Mirror she was in a supermarket when she found out the news and the stunner burst into tears of joy.
      Kalvin Phillips and girlfriend Ashleigh Behan’s day out in Manchester was spoilt after they picked up a parking ticketCredit: Instagram / @kalvinphillips
      Phillips and Ashleigh have been together since 2011Credit: Instagram / @kalvinphillips
      Ashleigh ‘screamed and cried’ after Phillips’ England call-upCredit: Instagram / @ashhhbx
      Ashleigh and the Man City ace are not marriedCredit: Instagram @ashhhbx More

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      We hate living near major Premier League ground… parking is a nightmare, our cars get damaged by fans & cops won’t help

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      RESIDENTS living near a major Premier League ground say that parking is a nightmare and that fans keep damaging their cars – but cops won’t help.Chaotic parking, road closures and a mass of noisy sports fans near the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium have left residents furious. 
      Residents have slammed the chaotic parking around Tottenham Hotspur’s stadiumCredit: Getty
      Concerned resident Mukhtar Laiche has lived in the area for 11 yearsCredit: Louis Wood
      One local, who wished not to be named, has been affected first hand by rowdy crowds when her car wing mirror got knocked off by football fans. 
      The resident lives along Bromley Road, which is often used to herd football fans as security tries to separate the home and away supporters. 
      She said: “This road is sometimes where they herd fans through so it is always very busy with people.
      “They can be trouble. Our car wing mirror got whacked and broken and when we went to the police they just said ‘you have car insurance’.”
      Read More Football
      For events, the roads around the area are closed, making it difficult for residents to get out or in.
      The local added: “My husband had to go to work one day and he couldn’t get out. 
      Most read in The Sun
      “He had to argue with the stewards because he had to go to work and they wouldn’t budge. 
      “In the end he was allowed to go but it shouldn’t have to take him arguing to go to work.”
      Parking also is challenging during game days, when some residents are forced to park far from their houses because visitors take over the spaces. 
      The disgruntled local said: “You can get permits to park but it is normally not near the house and it is hard to find spaces.”
      As the chanting football fans or concert goers meander past, it’s impossible to not hear them. 
      She said: “It’s extremely noisy when the fans are herded down the road but they are not always too bad. It depends on the game really. 
      “The times we worry is when we have a football team that is kind of local like Arsenal. Then the crowds can be bad.
      “We complain but nothing really happens.”
      Another resident said: “The road is closed all the way to Seven Sisters so I see that it can be inconvenient. 
      “And the tubes and trains are completely over crowded making travelling anywhere from here difficult.”
      “There are sometimes some crazy people and when they congregate together they can be more boisterous.”
      Local Codon Traian, 40, dreads big game days. 
      He said: “There is a lot of noise and it can be dangerous because there are fights.
      “People smash those Corona bottles so it is bad sometimes.”
      While the construction worker does not feel worried going out on game days, he does fear for his son.
      He added: “I don’t feel scared but I do have a son and I would be scared for him.”
      One resident, who didn’t want to be named, shared this opinion and simply said: “It’s absolutely terrible.”
      Not all residents mind living next door to Spurs.
      Sarah Ring, 30, said: “I think it’s great having it there. 
      “There are so many events available for residents – they even do career days. 
      “It’s great going down there when events are on as they have lots of markets so it’s really fun to take the kids.
      “It’s very safe during big events. There are so many stewards. It feels very safe.”
      The mum said: “It’s a really good system. They put letters through our doors about upcoming events so we are prepared. 
      “Road signs are put up too telling us which roads will close and they are very quick when the event has finished to move the barriers and put everything back to normal.
      “When the new stadium was built they ensured that there was a level of sound proofing.” 
      Sarah added: “It’s not as loud with the new stadium, you can’t hear it really and when you can it doesn’t bother me.
      Read More on The Sun
      “The club has really boosted the area and I’m sure pushed up the value of houses as more is going on here now.”
      Tottenham Hotspur and the Metropolitan Police have been contacted for comment.
      Sarah Ring has defended the stadium against its local detractorsCredit: Louis Wood
      Resident Susan Broad is more positive about the stadium than many residentsCredit: Louis Wood
      Rowdy fans have damaged residents’ cars in the area around the new Spurs groundCredit: Rex More

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      We live near a Premier League ground and we HATE it – rowdy fans poo in front of our homes… it’s disgusting

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      LOCALS living near a Premier League ground have revealed how fed up they are with rowdy fans – with some even pooing outside their homes. And on top of having to hose human mess from gardens, and pick up litter from streets, the west London residents are left battling to find a car park on game days.
      Residents living near Brentford Community Stadium have revealed why they hate itCredit: SWNS
      Michael Lock says he had to shoo away a fan who was pooing outside his homeCredit: SWNS
      Michael Lock, 66, is one of the many living in the shadow of Brentford Community Stadium.
      He says he’s endured a variety of issues since Brentford’s home ground was built in 2020 – including having to shoo away a man who was pooing outside his home in broad daylight.
      The 66-year-old told The Sun: “My son gets the footage to his phone from the Ring camera and he called me and said I should go and look by the house.
      “I saw this guy defecating right by the house at 4pm after a game. 
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      “It was like a cow had been there. I had to get the jet washer to sort it out.
      “And when I confronted him he just said, ‘When you got to go’ and he got in his car and left.” 
      Michael says the streets and locals’ properties are also left littered with food scraps and empties after games as Premier League fans just drop their rubbish.
      The Heathrow security worker said: “People often buy chicken from the shop and cans of drink and chuck them over the hedges of the ground floor flats over there that are for disabled people. 
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      “Their gardens are the space they can go outside easily and enjoy being outside but people throw rubbish in there.”
      One of the most “annoying” issues is fans nicking residents’ parking during matches, Michael said.
      He’s even fighting to have gates put up to lock sports lovers out.
      “It is all resident parking but people don’t pay attention to the signs or even when we tell them and still park here,” Michael said.
      “It is annoying with parking as there is very limited spaces and people come down here and park for the game.”
      And he’s not alone in his parking woes.
      One neighbour who has lived in the area for 25 years said travelling fans often dump their cars along her permitted road. 
      She said: “They are not allowed to park here but that doesn’t always stop them.
      “You see cars dotted around here who have parked when they shouldn’t.”

      ‘TRAFFIC WAS AWFUL’
      Elizabeth, who lives next to the stadium, agreed.
      She said: “I tend to stay in and work around the weekends they are playing as it is difficult to get around on these days. 
      “The first week it opened I made the mistake of going to B&Q and when I came out the traffic was awful. 
      “I ended up having to park about a mile from my road just to get back.”
      Despite the residents’ qualms, the stadium has given the area a much-needed boost to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.
      That’s because since it opened about three years ago it has brought swells of people into the area, according to those working in the neighborhood.
      Din Mohammed owns convenience shop Nipa Stores, which backs onto the stadium.
      He said: “It’s great – it’s a real community club. We don’t get rowdy people, all the people who come in are good people.
      “And with the crowds we get good business from them.”
      Another worker, Ayman Mahnay, 39, said compared to other football stadiums, Brentford Football Club has got it right.
      ‘GOT IT RIGHT’
      He knows that because while he works in the area, he lives in Finsbury Park near Arsenal’s stadium.
      The foot outlet worker said: “We don’t have any problems, in fact we get lots of business so the football days are always good for us. 
      “There are no issues with drunk people.”
      Ayman continued: “Here it is very calm and organised – I think because they have set it up very well.
      “In Finsbury Park there is less space and less organisation so when there is a game it can be very busy and not as nice as here.”
      Mark Cullen, 56, also works in the area and mirrored Ayman’s views.
      He said: “I used to live in Chelsea in the 80s and it was awful there because the area just couldn’t handle the mass of fans and what a big football event brings.
      “Here they have learnt from other clubs on what not to do and have got it right.”
      Mark added: “Instead of being disruptive it gives the area a boost.”
      Read More on The Sun
      This is not the first time people living near a sports stadium have raised concerns.
      Last month locals living in the shadow of Man United’s iconic home Old Trafford said they hated it.
      Locals say they also face parking woes living near the sports groundCredit: SWNS
      But people who work in the area, like Din Mohammed, think the stadium brings vibrancy to the neighbourhoodCredit: SWNS More

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      We HATE living near a major football ground – there’s parking rows and rubbish dumped everywhere… we’re being forced out

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      LOCALS of the streets near a major footie ground have revealed what life is like as parking rows rage and fans dump rubbish everywhere.Residents complained that their streets are used as rubbish bins and urinals on match days and say that it’s a “nightmare”.
      Residents of the streets around Old Trafford said that living there is a ‘nightmare’Credit: MEN Media
      They claimed that supporters park in their residential roads on match days, ignoring finesCredit: MEN Media
      The people living on Partridge Street, Manchester, which sits in the shadow of Man United’s iconic home of Old Trafford, claimed that the problems have “been going on for donkeys years” and never seem to be solved.
      Graham Wright, who has lived on the street since 1989, told Manchester Evening News: “These problems have been going on for donkeys years. The fly-tipping and dumping rubbish in the alleyways is just horrendous.
      “Wetherspoons gets absolutely jam packed so people end up peeing up the walls”
      He claimed that a gate had been put up to stop supporters accessing the residential road from the main route to the stadium, but that the lock had been filled with superglue to prevent it being shut.
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      When Graham took matters into his own hands and put his own padlock on the gate, he said it was soon cut with pliers.
      However, he explained that the parking was the worst issue of all.
      The street requires a permit 24 hours a day, but Graham said that some fans dump their cars on the road anyway and willingly foot the bill.
      He explained: “People just park on the street and are fined. That fine is reduced to around £30 if they pay within a week, which, if you have a car of four people, is only £7.50 each. So, really, it’s just the same as parking in a normal car park isn’t it?
      Most read in Football
      “You learn to put up with these things. When I moved in, 40,000 fans would come to the stadium – but now that’s over 70,000. You can imagine what that’s like.
      “The parking is a nightmare. You really want to see what we have to put up with on a match day or event day. We pay for a permit but it still doesn’t guarantee we will get a space anywhere near our house, so what are we paying for?”
      He added that the problem has become so bad that he has had his house valued and is thinking of selling up, saying: “They are forcing us away.”
      In the neighbouring Sir Matt Busby Way, the road separated from Graham’s by a gate, Ali Mirage experiences similar frustrations.
      The road, where he has lived since 2014, is blocked off by police on match days and sees tens of thousands of fans walk along it when their team are in action.
      Ali said: “I’ve actually written to our MP because anyone that lives along here or on the street behind us needs a permit. But that doesn’t mean you have a reserved space. It’s a joke.
      “We can’t park our cars here at all on match days, so when we then try and park on the street behind us, they all kick up a big fuss even though it isn’t reserved for them either. We have to try and sneak our cars in at night.
      “The back gates to the alleyway usually stay open, so people sneak in there, take their pants down and urinate. It’s a nightmare to be honest, we need the police patrolling the area and the backstreets.”
      Ali is now considering starting a petition for private parking spaces outside each house to guarantee a spot on peak days.
      In January, Trafford Council announced a public consultation on the issues after a stream of complaints from locals.
      Councillor Tom Ross, who leads the council, said: “We know that the vast majority of matchday and event fans are well-behaved and a credit to Manchester United and visiting teams.
      “However, there is a small minority of anti-social people so we want to find out the impact their behaviour has on the lives of people in our communities around Old Trafford football stadium.”
      Read More on The Sun
      Manchester United did not provide comment to Manchester Evening News but pointed to that fact that the club has reintroduced a quarterly councillor forum to hear local concerns.
      They have also paid for 12 temporary match day toilets and have pledge £22,000 to install better gates in the alleyways around the ground.
      They also complained that fans urinate in alleyways by housesCredit: MEN Media
      Some residents even say the issues are forcing them to move awayCredit: MEN Media
      The local council recently launched a consultation to try and address the problemsCredit: MEN Media More

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      Manchester City ace Benjamin Mendy fined £1k after driving £475k Lamborghini without insurance or licence

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      BENJAMIN Mendy has been fined £1,000 after driving without insurance or a licence when cops pulled him over in his £475,000 Lamborghini.
      The £52m Manchester City defender and France international had the flash white car seized as he was unable to provide the correct paperwork.

      Man City ace Benjamin Mendy has been fined £1,000 after driving without insurance or a licenceCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      Mendy had his £475,000 supercar seized as he was unable to provide the correct paperwork when police stopped him

      The SVJ supercar — which can do 0-60mph in under three seconds — was later impounded.
      Mendy was stopped at 5am on November 15 in Prestbury, Cheshire.
      Cheshire Police said: “A 26-year-old man from Prestbury submitted a guilty plea online to driving without insurance and driving without a licence.
      “The man was subsequently fined £880, ordered to pay £88 victims surcharge, £90 costs, and endorsed with six penalty points on his licence.”

      Mendy was pulled over by police in his Lamborghini in Cheshire last November

      The defender bought the flash motor in France and was pictured last summer driving it in the millionaire’s playground of Cannes

      Cheshire Police said: ‘The man was subsequently fined £880, ordered to pay £88 victims surcharge, £90 costs, and endorsed with six penalty points on his licence’Credit: Dave Thompson Telegraph Media Group

      Mendy, who joined City in 2017, bought the car in France and was pictured last summer driving it in the millionaire’s playground of Cannes.
      The SVJ model is an improved version of the Aventador S – with only 900 made.
      According to the Motor Insurance Bureau, last year 137,410 vehicles were seized for no insurance which equated to one seizure every four minutes.

      Man City ace Benjamin Mendy flouted lockdown again by flying a girl from Greece for four-day romp
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