Letter: Keep Wembley mural during Euros

Philip Grant, Kingsbury, full address supplied, writes:

The first of many Euros football matches at Wembley over the next month takes place this weekend. I hope that Quintain’s Wembley Park company will not disrespect the tournament by covering the tile mural in the Bobby Moore Bridge subway, showing England footballers at the old “twin towers” stadium, with adverts.

The 1993 Bobby Moore bridge plaque on display again (Image: Philip Grant)

Such a cover-up should be unthinkable, but an unknown (until it was disclosed this year) Brent Council deal in 2019 claimed that Wembley Park was entitled to display adverts over the footballers mural during the Euros, and on other event days at the stadium, such as concerts and NFL matches.

Although all of the tile mural scenes in the subway, celebrating historic sports and entertainment events at Wembley Stadium and Arena, had been covered over since 2013, Quintain agreed to put the footballers mural back on permanent public display. This was done through planning and advertisement consents granted by Brent Council in 2019.

For the past few months, senior council officers have claimed that an earlier advertisement consent still applies, allowing the footballers mural to be covered up. They have finally disclosed the grounds on which they hold that view.

Footballers on the mural on the east wall from the station steps (Image: Philip Grant)

The 2019 advertisement consent replaced the earlier one, and made clear that the footballers mural would remain uncovered, although adverts could be displayed on light boxes fixed on either side of it.

Brent’s chief executive and leader need to accept the facts of their own planning committee’s July 2019 decision. If not, they will be responsible for the shame that concealing the footballers mural, with its plaque ‘in honour of a football legend’, from fans going to Euros matches at Wembley would bring to our borough.