The future of Coventry Stadium, Brandon

The Coventry Telegraph website reports yet another fire at Brandon. Not good.

Update - Response to owners’ statement.

My humble opinion, for what it's worth, tells me the longer this issue is left the more damage and what comes with it (delinquents and the like) will take place and will invite trouble of every kind. If the public want a new Speedway area so be it. It was very popular before and at least it will be serving some purpose. It was a place of overwhelming enjoyment in my day. I can see it again with the rising population and what a grand opening to attend. Now in these turbulent times what more does the public need than something to lift spirits up, certainly not more high rises or student flats. I would like to know of the alternatives - when they finally make their minds up. Also in the building of, will it not create more work. I know this topic has been well discussed but I did say it was my humble opinion. Please don't hit me all at once. Methinks, there are too many greedy fingers in the pie.

Planning application LIVE - link. Anyone with an interest in the future of the stadium, please have a look at the link above

I have sent my letter of support to Rugby Council - you need to read the link to understand that this is a planning proposal to support the return of both Speedway and Stock Cars to Brandon.

This does look like the beginning of the end https://www.rugby.gov.uk/download/meetings/id/3499/download_the_agenda

I'm so sorry.

Very sad, the end of a formerly glorious era.

From “Save Coventry Speedway and Stox” RUGBY Borough Council have announced that the Brandon Estates application to replace Brandon Stadium with 124 houses and a 3G football pitch will be taken to Planning Committee on Wednesday September 14. Quite incredibly, the officer’s recommendation is for the application to be approved. This is despite the overwhelming evidence provided to the contrary, and the unprecedented public opposition to the application at every stage in the process over the last six years. It is important to stress that the recommendation does not mean the application has been successful, as it will now be down to the Committee made up of 12 Councillors to vote on a decision. The Planning Committee meeting is set for 5.30pm on Wednesday September 14, and whilst attendance in the Chamber is extremely limited, we would like to invite all speedway and stock car fans, and members of the local community, to congregate at Rugby Town Hall from around 4.30pm to again underline to Rugby Borough Council the strength of feeling which exists, and has been largely ignored by the Planning Officer despite consultation reactions which are unprecedented in the Council’s history. We are currently reviewing the report and will make further detailed comment over the coming days. We will also be speaking at the planning meeting as objectors. The report’s conclusion is that the application satisfies the provisions of paragraph 99c of National Planning Policy Framework, in that the benefits of the ‘alternative sports provision’ of the 3G football pitch are deemed to outweigh the loss of the former use as a speedway and stock car track. It is already clear that the report reproduces many untrue and misleading statements made by Brandon Estates but makes little mention of the counter evidence submitted by ourselves which conclusively disprove them, and also leaves out completely several other matters of significance. In our view, the report has been written to support a pre-determined conclusion, and we are shocked and appalled by the contents. There will be a further update later this week.

I bet that planning officer is not local person. We had a house on a corner plot near us for sale and the buyer wanted to convert it into four flats. After local objections, the planning application was rejected, but on appeal it was passed by a planning officer from Swindon, 22 miles away.

“FOLLOWING the sad passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, we have received notification that Wednesday’s Planning Committee meeting has been postponed. The meeting will now take place at a later date, likely to be in October, and we will advise details of that new date as soon as it is confirmed. We thank everyone for their expressions of support since the publication of the Planning Officer’s report, and for those who intended to be present at Rugby Town Hall on September 14 – please do not attend now, as the meeting is not taking place. We are working on preparations for the meeting in the light of the report, and will update everyone with revised details when they are available.”

“Campaign group has received updated info to confirm that a decision on the developers planning planning application will not now be discussed at the next RBC planning committee on Wednesday October 12th. “A new date is unconfirmed. The next date for a planning committee hearing will be November 9th, two working days before the restaged trial date, in which RBC takes the developers to court. “RBC is obliged to a give a minimum of 5 working days notice of the planning agenda for each meeting. “We will of course update you as soon as we know. “In our latest statement, we also raise a concern about one particular procedural anomaly, which we feel may bring into question the manner in which this planning application has so far been handled. “At this juncture, it's difficult to know categorically whether this error, made by officers within the managerial heirachy at RBC.was a genuine mistake or not, “This is not a one-off occurence of course, and at some point in the near future, we aim to make further statements on whether we believe the process has been followed correctly, fairly and impartially in accordance with RBC's own planning guidelines.” Further update

This ”Critique” by the SCS, published today, is extremely long, but absolutely fascinating.

Good luck to SCS in their battle with planners and the developers. I used to go to Brandon in the early 1960's to watch the Stock Car Racing but also kept an eye on the Bees results. When I moved to Oxfordshire I got to know a few people who were Oxford Cheetahs fans and they were very passionate about their Speedway. I was invited along in the early 1970's to a match against the Bees as they knew I was from Coventry.