How can members benefit from the Commonwealth Games?

At the time of writing, the Birmingham 2022 countdown clock has 183 days on it. So, with a few months to go what should members in the Midlands be looking out for?

There will be numerous opportunities for members to advertise rooms, camping spaces - even complete houses - and have appropriate prices to take advantage of the demand, subject to Covid.

However, for those close to the action, one easy way to make use of land is to provide it for parking. Prior to allowing anyone on the land you should ensure that you have some way to police the parking and to make sure that any land, in say a stewardship scheme, isn’t adversely affected. As ever, good advice is key.

Not only are there these direct opportunities, through a partnership between the Organisers and Severn Trent Water there is also an opportunity to plant wood on your land, for those who wish to help the Games offset their emissions. That being said, the Games only wants to plant up blocks of a minimum size of 20ac and you won’t have any rights to make use of these trees for a period of 35 years.

Unfortunately, as with all things, there are risks.

One example is to remain vigilant to cold calls from individuals who are looking to enter into a ‘joint venture’ and use one of your fields, usually for either car parking or camping. That being said, during London 2012 it was not unknown for cars to be left on open land without the landowner’s permission, so it is important you assess the scurity of your land.

Moreover, these sites were often abused with excess litter, ground compaction and local nuisance, which may attract the attention of the local Council. This will naturally be something that members in close proximity to Birmingham should look out for.

If you do decide to let out any land it is recommended that you do it yourself to ensure you retain control, a greater share of the potential income and are less likely to fall foul of the following:

• Planning – For the whole of 2022 you can only undertake temporary land uses on a site for up to 28 days. With the Games running from the 28th July to the 8th August members may wish to make use of this right.
• Highways – Site with suitable access should be looked at as you want to avoid causing local traffic issues.
• Insurance – Ensure that you always have appropriate levels of insurance for whatever options are considered. CLA Insurance can advise policyholders accordingly.

If you have any questions about being approached about any joint ventures, or any aspect of temporary land use please contact John Greenshields at the Midlands office.