Peterborough Speedway, is it the end (not necessarily?)

[rodders]

Plans afoot to demolish Speedway Track and Grandstand in 2023.

[chrise]

What a tragedy. British speedway is on its last legs and to lose one of the best tracks (when properly prepared) in country is a disaster. Looking for a new site is just a platitude and it will never happen. The country by 2023 will be in the midst of the biggest depression in living memory. The average individual will not have the income to support leisure activities that involve a lot of travel. 

Sorry for all the negativity. 😥

[Bigcatdiary]

Jun 22, 2022 10:17:47 GMT chrise said:

What a tragedy. British speedway is on its legs and to lose one of the best tracks (when properly prepared) in country is a disaster. Looking for a new site is just a platitude and it will never happen. The country by 2023 will be in the midst of the biggest depression in living memory. The average individual will not have the income to support leisure activities that involve a lot of travel. 

Sorry for all the negativity. 😥

To be fair this has been coming for years but this isn’t a quick job and could take a few years to get plans approved.
I think most people think brown envelopes will win in the end and I don’t for a moment think they will get plans or a site to stage it elsewhere.

As someone said Peterborough is getting a reputation as a warehouse city, that’s all our planners seem to care about, but they haven’t even sorted Posh’s new ground yet and that’s been in the planning stage for a while.

[arthursleep]

Jun 22, 2022 9:31:07 GMT rodders said:

Plans afoot to demolish Speedway Track and Grandstand in 2023.

they probably want to doubt they can do it legally tho..think there taking the pi55 to be honest .nothing but greed from developers …the recession whats around the corner and higher interest rates could soon put a stop to there greed…

[Hodgy]

Jun 22, 2022 16:54:32 GMT arthursleep said:

Jun 22, 2022 9:31:07 GMT rodders said:

Plans afoot to demolish Speedway Track and Grandstand in 2023.

they probably want to doubt they can do it legally tho..think there taking the pi55 to be honest .nothing but greed from developers …the recession whats around the corner and higher interest rates could soon put a stop to there greed…

Developers have no consideration or care for their target markets, or who it impacts. The EOES lost / sold it’s power years ago. I thought it was safe but eventually money talks. The first house builds put our Speedway on life support. We’ve done well to still keep going as long as we have. Peterborough Speedway has survived so much longer than many of us expected. It’s been will we, won’t we for many years. We’re still here, for now.

[rodders]

Jun 22, 2022 21:10:31 GMT Hodgy said:

Jun 22, 2022 16:54:32 GMT arthursleep said:

they probably want to doubt they can do it legally tho..think there taking the pi55 to be honest .nothing but greed from developers …the recession whats around the corner and higher interest rates could soon put a stop to there greed…

Developers have no consideration or care for their target markets, or who it impacts. The EOES lost / sold it’s power years ago. I thought it was safe but eventually money talks. The first house builds put our Speedway on life support. We’ve done well to still keep going as long as we have. Peterborough Speedway has survived so much longer than many of us expected. It’s been will we, won’t we for many years. We’re still here, for now.

I am not certain whether lack planning permission means that the track and grandstand can't be demolished. If this was to take place Panthers are finished regardless of planning permission.

The council can stop this if they have the will to do so

[Hodgy]

Jun 22, 2022 21:47:44 GMT rodders said:

Jun 22, 2022 21:10:31 GMT Hodgy said:

Developers have no consideration or care for their target markets, or who it impacts. The EOES lost / sold it’s power years ago. I thought it was safe but eventually money talks. The first house builds put our Speedway on life support. We’ve done well to still keep going as long as we have. Peterborough Speedway has survived so much longer than many of us expected. It’s been will we, won’t we for many years. We’re still here, for now.

I am not certain whether lack planning permission means that the track and grandstand can't be demolished. If this was to take place Panthers are finished regardless of planning permission.

The council can stop this if they have the will to do so

Understand what you’re saying regarding planning permission for demolition. I don’t know but I assume you couldn’t do anything with land, be it knock down or build without permission. As we probably know, it’s all about money.

[admin]

Jun 22, 2022 22:06:47 GMT Hodgy said:

Jun 22, 2022 21:47:44 GMT rodders said:

I am not certain whether lack planning permission means that the track and grandstand can't be demolished. If this was to take place Panthers are finished regardless of planning permission.

The council can stop this if they have the will to do so

Understand what you’re saying regarding planning permission for demolition. I don’t know but I assume you couldn’t do anything with land, be it knock down or build without permission. As we probably know, it’s all about money.

Reminds me of the Swingers Golf Range which closed on Jul 1 2008 with the intention of building houses on it. The Financial crisis of 2007–2008 struck though and there it still sits. Can't see the same happening with Peterborough Speedway. The only delays will be with the timetable.

[bratters]

If you want to give your thoughts on the intended demise of Peterborough Speedway by AEPG you can send an email to:

Cllr Steve Allen
Deputy Leader Peterborough City Council
Cabinet Member for Communications, Culture and Communities
[e-mail]

Shailesh Vara MP
Member of Parliament for North West Cambridgeshire
[e-mail]

For the MP you need to include your address and phone number in order to get a response (it might be courteous to do the same for the councillor)

I sent them both emails, stressing how the leisure village was anything but a leisure village as plans include a wellness centre - there are loads already close to the Showground - and conference centre with accommodation - not exactly leisure and not for local people. My argument was that the council should encourage AEPG to build their leisure village around the track and grandstand so events could be put on all year round for local people and of course retain Speedway.

I have had responses, but the more people that do this will at least show the people who are supposedly a lot more intelligent than me that Peterborough Speedway is an important community asset with a rich 52 year heritage that could be lost forever.

If we want to keep Peterborough Speedway where it is, (and we surely do, because it is a unique track) we at least need to start making a noise and not go down without a fight!

[admin]

Jul 28, 2022 10:11:26 GMT bratters said:

If you want to give your thoughts on the intended demise of Peterborough Speedway by AEPG you can send an email to:

Cllr Steve Allen
Deputy Leader Peterborough City Council
Cabinet Member for Communications, Culture and Communities
[e-mail]

Shailesh Vara MP
Member of Parliament for North West Cambridgeshire
[e-mail]

For the MP you need to include your address and phone number in order to get a response (it might be courteous to do the same for the councillor)

I sent them both emails, stressing how the leisure village was anything but a leisure village as plans include a wellness centre - there are loads already close to the Showground - and conference centre with accommodation - not exactly leisure and not for local people. My argument was that the council should encourage AEPG to build their leisure village around the track and grandstand so events could be put on all year round for local people and of course retain Speedway.

I have had responses, but the more people that do this will at least show the people who are supposedly a lot more intelligent than me that Peterborough Speedway is an important community asset with a rich 52 year heritage that could be lost forever.

If we want to keep Peterborough Speedway where it is, (and we surely do, because it is a unique track) we at least need to start making a noise and not go down without a fight!

Also can't do any harm to politely contact Paul Bristow

I trust that Dick will convey this message (unless they read it) to the supporters club who should do a mail/e-mail shot (whatever) asking members to follow the action suggested by Bratters.

[Bigcatdiary]

Jul 28, 2022 14:06:12 GMT admin said:

Jul 28, 2022 10:11:26 GMT bratters said:

If you want to give your thoughts on the intended demise of Peterborough Speedway by AEPG you can send an email to:

Cllr Steve Allen
Deputy Leader Peterborough City Council
Cabinet Member for Communications, Culture and Communities
[e-mail]

Shailesh Vara MP
Member of Parliament for North West Cambridgeshire
[e-mail]

For the MP you need to include your address and phone number in order to get a response (it might be courteous to do the same for the councillor)

I sent them both emails, stressing how the leisure village was anything but a leisure village as plans include a wellness centre - there are loads already close to the Showground - and conference centre with accommodation - not exactly leisure and not for local people. My argument was that the council should encourage AEPG to build their leisure village around the track and grandstand so events could be put on all year round for local people and of course retain Speedway.

I have had responses, but the more people that do this will at least show the people who are supposedly a lot more intelligent than me that Peterborough Speedway is an important community asset with a rich 52 year heritage that could be lost forever.

If we want to keep Peterborough Speedway where it is, (and we surely do, because it is a unique track) we at least need to start making a noise and not go down without a fight!

Also can't do any harm to politely contact Paul Bristow

I trust that Dick will convey this message (unless they read it) to the supporters club who should do a mail/e-mail shot (whatever) asking members to follow the action suggested by Bratters.

You can, I will be doing mine in the next few days to both Allen and Vara.

[rodders]

As I do not live in Peterborough presumably they will take no notice of me?

[admin]

Jul 28, 2022 21:49:05 GMT rodders said:

As I do not live in Peterborough presumably they will take no notice of me?

As a regular long time user I don't see why. It's not just about locals, it's about bringing people to the city and upping its profile to the outside world. Whatever dogs dinner AEPG eventually get permission for I very much doubt that it will match what Peterborough Speedway has done for the city.

[bratters]

Jul 28, 2022 22:22:02 GMT admin said:

Jul 28, 2022 21:49:05 GMT rodders said:

As I do not live in Peterborough presumably they will take no notice of me?

As a regular long time user I don't see why. It's not just about locals, it's about bringing people to the city and upping its profile to the outside world. Whatever dogs dinner AEPG eventually get permission for I very much doubt that it will match what Peterborough Speedway has done for the city.

I doubt they’ll take any notice of anyone but it will at least make everyone feel a little bit better. The response I got from Steve Allen, which somewhat disappointed me as he is a lifelong Peterborian, was along the lines of, yes it is a great shame, but we can’t tell them what to do. Well yes you can matey, you can advise them that if they want to be successful with their planning application, they shouldn’t destroy yet another part of the city heritage. I want the council to be making more of a fuss than they currently appear to be doing. At least he had the courtesy to reply, which is more than Marco Cereste has done when I wrote to him about my concerns about the intended number of new houses and no mention of upgrading the local infrastructure to support that number of new people coming to the area. Two weeks and waiting.

Shailesh Vara replied and has assigned one of his staff to look into the aspirational plans and the demise of the Speedway, and I anticipate that eventually his reply will be along the same lines as Steve Allen.

[admin]

Jul 29, 2022 10:29:47 GMT bratters said:

Jul 28, 2022 22:22:02 GMT admin said:

As a regular long time user I don't see why. It's not just about locals, it's about bringing people to the city and upping its profile to the outside world. Whatever dogs dinner AEPG eventually get permission for I very much doubt that it will match what Peterborough Speedway has done for the city.

I doubt they’ll take any notice of anyone but it will at least make everyone feel a little bit better. The response I got from Steve Allen, which somewhat disappointed me as he is a lifelong Peterborian, was along the lines of, yes it is a great shame, but we can’t tell them what to do. Well yes you can matey, you can advise them that if they want to be successful with their planning application, they shouldn’t destroy yet another part of the city heritage. I want the council to be making more of a fuss than they currently appear to be doing. At least he had the courtesy to reply, which is more than Marco Cereste has done when I wrote to him about my concerns about the intended number of new houses and no mention of upgrading the local infrastructure to support that number of new people coming to the area. Two weeks and waiting.

Shailesh Vara replied and has assigned one of his staff to look into the aspirational plans and the demise of the Speedway, and I anticipate that eventually his reply will be along the same lines as Steve Allen.

Sadly I'm in the can I be arsed category myself because expecting anything positive from local councillors is like making plans for your expected Euromillions win. The EoES is a process started over a couple of decades now and we all knew that this day would come at some point, as it has. I'm like a dog with a bone when I've got the ammunition but the magazine is empty of bullets and although I'm reasonably bright I'm out of my depth with this lot. Despite the positive reports elsewhere, if AEPG want to submit development plans next spring/summer then I can't see them wanting any existing users at the EoES to kick up a fuss over those plans going forward. I think the July date is a red herring, nothing will happen before 2024 & a one season deal which ends with the last meeting of 2023 (meaning that we cease at that point to be an existing user) is the most likely outcome although I similarly wouldn't be surprised if we didn't run in 2023?

[admin]

Opinion: 'Peterborough’s sporting prowess is something we should all be proud of'
The Commonwealth Games highlighted the wealth of sporting ability which has been developed and nurtured in Peterborough, writes Barry Warne of the Green Party. - peterboroughtoday 12/8/22

---

As Dick's signature says: Peterborough Panthers Speedway - League Champions 1992, 1998, 1999, 2006 & 2021 - KO Cup Winners 1992, 1999, 2001 & 2017

Not surprising that Barry Warne is a 4 time failed local councillor when he's clearly not up to speed with detail or in contact with other Green Party MPs. The Embankment is nothing like the jewel in the crown. Most people in the city could point you directly to the Beer Festival but no chance of the athletics track. I'm local & don't know where it is!

---

The climb up the football pyramid of Peterborough Sports FC has caught the imagination of the Peterborough football supporting public. Really? The Turbines have risen from the Peterborough League to the 6th tier of English football in just 10 years.

With Posh currently leading League One, Peterborough now has two successful senior football clubs.

Hugely successful cricket club Peterborough Town - Swanny must have walked in the room has won the Northants League for the past three seasons and has featured many up and coming players including current England international Dawid Malan in their ranks. They have also developed a conveyor belt of local young cricketers.

Up-and-coming shot putter Lydia Church has an appearance in the Paralympics to her name and won silver in the European Championship in 2021.

Peterborough boasts many other leading competitors and has a proud reputation for being a city which develops and nurtures its own sporting talent.

The Embankment athletics arena is a jewel in the Peterborough sporting crown, really? but recently there have been suggestions from the council that this established and well-appointed city centre facility could be demolished and reopened elsewhere. This is despite its superb location alongside the new university.

Hopefully this idea will go nowhere and our city will continue to celebrate its sporting successes with existing facilities cherished, and where possible enhanced. - if only he'd mentioned Peterborough Speedway which is similarly under threat & should be similarly respected and cherished. The local plan says as such, you'd have thought that Warne would be aware of that?

[Hodgy]

Aug 12, 2022 12:36:37 GMT admin said:

Opinion: 'Peterborough’s sporting prowess is something we should all be proud of'
The Commonwealth Games highlighted the wealth of sporting ability which has been developed and nurtured in Peterborough, writes Barry Warne of the Green Party. - peterboroughtoday 12/8/22

---

As Dick's signature says: Peterborough Panthers Speedway - League Champions 1992, 1998, 1999, 2006 & 2021 - KO Cup Winners 1992, 1999, 2001 & 2017

Not surprising that Barry Warne is a 4 time failed local councillor when he's clearly not up to speed with detail or in contact with other Green Party MPs. The Embankment is nothing like the jewel in the crown. Most people in the city could point you directly to the Beer Festival but no chance of the athletics track. I'm local & don't know where it is!

---

The climb up the football pyramid of Peterborough Sports FC has caught the imagination of the Peterborough football supporting public. Really? The Turbines have risen from the Peterborough League to the 6th tier of English football in just 10 years.

With Posh currently leading League One, Peterborough now has two successful senior football clubs.

Hugely successful cricket club Peterborough Town - Swanny must have walked in the room has won the Northants League for the past three seasons and has featured many up and coming players including current England international Dawid Malan in their ranks. They have also developed a conveyor belt of local young cricketers.

Up-and-coming shot putter Lydia Church has an appearance in the Paralympics to her name and won silver in the European Championship in 2021.

Peterborough boasts many other leading competitors and has a proud reputation for being a city which develops and nurtures its own sporting talent.

The Embankment athletics arena is a jewel in the Peterborough sporting crown, really? but recently there have been suggestions from the council that this established and well-appointed city centre facility could be demolished and reopened elsewhere. This is despite its superb location alongside the new university.

Hopefully this idea will go nowhere and our city will continue to celebrate its sporting successes with existing facilities cherished, and where possible enhanced. - if only he'd mentioned Peterborough Speedway which is similarly under threat & should be similarly respected and cherished. The local plan says as such, you'd have thought that Warne would be aware of that?

What a dreadful, completely out of touch article.

[rodders]

What does anybody know about the two alternative sites apparently mentioned by Carl Johnson in recent radio interview.?

[rodders]

Aug 18, 2022 7:17:19 GMT rodders said:

What does anybody know about the two alternative sites apparently mentioned by Carl Johnson in recent radio interview.?

Clearly nothing!!!

[admin]

Aug 18, 2022 7:17:19 GMT rodders said:

What does anybody know about the two alternative sites apparently mentioned by Carl Johnson in recent radio interview.?

I'd say that "positive" and "potential" do a lot of heavy lifting, along with other such p's as probable, possible and planned.

When I see "will need help with funding from the council and local businesses" you know that nothing happening in the end is a reasonably safe bet.

Look a the club officials page. Who has the nous to take on and complete such a project/build. We don't even have an owner listed. If it was coming from Oakes, Rathbone or Frost then you might be less cynical but we've been there too often.

I didn't mention Horton above because he was the classic. Remember his Fengate Motorsport complex? Didn't that have identified land, landowner agreement and went as far as plans and ET article. Have you ever been?

More recently, as Dick pointed out, the new Posh ground. That similarly seemed to be all systems go with the big ET article and splash story. Weren't they supposed to be in for the 2023/24 season (might have been earlier)? Only thing they'll be in is the increasingly inaccessible London Road toilet.

Nothing is going to happen for 2023 so the best option is the EoES with such a project needing to be started in parallel so that Panthers 2024 destination/set up is clear before the 2023 AGM.

That's a lot of words to say "No" Rodders. Flappy trawls the internet so if it's been said then he'll post it.

[bratters]

I was talking with a Whittlesey Parish councillor recently he said to me that if Peterborough City Council were stupid enough to let such a brilliant local attraction as Peterborough Speedway die then Whittlesey would definitely be up for hosting Speedway, as it would bring more people to their town and put them on the map and that there would be no issue in finding land for a peppercorn rent. The subject has been discussed at meetings apparently. He was definitely up for it.

Whittlesey Warriors anyone?

[Hodgy]

Aug 22, 2022 14:50:24 GMT bratters said:

I was talking with a Whittlesey Parish councillor recently he said to me that if Peterborough City Council were stupid enough to let such a brilliant local attraction as Peterborough Speedway die then Whittlesey would definitely be up for hosting Speedway, as it would bring more people to their town and put them on the map and that there would be no issue in finding land for a peppercorn rent. The subject has been discussed at meetings apparently. He was definitely up for it.

Whittlesey Warriors anyone?

Hope we can do better than that. Awful place, unless born and bred. I’m definitely out on that idea.

[admin]

"that if Peterborough City Council were stupid" - and therein lies the problem. They are.

Whittlesey would be a family club though, literally We'd have to be called Whittlesey speed cameras!

I went to Mildenhall in the 70s when it was just a field with a boarded circuit & we drove by farm track to get to it. I've not got much enthusiasm for that sort of project these days. If someone wants to take it on and, although highly unlikely, secure funding then good luck to them.

The EoES track & facilities can't be bettered. PCC should make AEPG work extremely hard before they allow them to even get slightly close to doing a hatchet job on one of the cities principle sporting venues and one of its most high profile & successful sporting teams.

[Hodgy]

Just look at what we watched last night. That’s not going to entice anyone. Only way to survive is super tracks (prepared properly), Proper Speedway. There are reasons so many small tracks have died. It’s not difficult to work out.

[chrise]

Aug 23, 2022 19:49:10 GMT Hodgy said:

Just look at what we watched last night. That’s not going to entice anyone. Only way to survive is super tracks (prepared properly), Proper Speedway. There are reasons so many small tracks have died. It’s not difficult to work out.

Eurosport TV coverage of both league and GP is lamentable. I just lose the will to live watching the dross being served up. It make you realise how good Sky were. In the current climate it is difficult to see anybody committing meaningful investment into this sport.