Swindon Speedway to go?

[pumbaa]

Sad news. I regularly attended Speedway for about twenty years (from the age of about 3 months) in the 70's and 80's. Great atmosphere there and its been going for many years before that.

[Iffy's Onion Bhaji]

a sad loss for Swindon sport. apart from STFC it's the only place where crowds of 2500 plus watch sport in the town

[TalkTalk]

Although not directly culpable, SBC will doubtless be complicit in destroying another small piece of Swindon'd cultural heritage.

  The spineless councillors (see JT)....will hide behind teh facade of obfustication and red tape offered by their officers.

  The real laugh is that the owner of Robins, suggests STFC wouldn't be kicked out,  whereas nothing in SBC recent decision making, indicates otherwise.

That's a complete load of bollocks, Reg.

Swindon Borough Council have absolutely NO SAY in what the private owners of the stadium want to do with their (commercial) enterprise and the land that they own on which it is situated. SBC don't own any part of it and have no public interest in it.

Gaming International can do what they want with it, Swindon Robins or not.

The only decision making the council will get involved in is in responding to a planning application for yet more houses and they can only grant or deny that for planning reasons - nothing to do with heritage. It's not even on the radar for the council so don't try and implicate them for commercial decisions that might be unpopular with the local electorate. That's just disingenous.

[Simon Pieman]

Surely a greyhound track would make lots of noise as well though? Something that the locals complain about. Approving more houses would in fact go against this.

[TalkTalk]

Surely a greyhound track would make lots of noise as well though? Something that the locals complain about. Approving more houses would in fact go against this.

The greyhound racing is an existing use that nobody can object to.

More houses is a preferred option as far as The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (aka Prescott as was) goes. The planning guidelines love new houses on brownfield sites. Expect them any time real soon.

There's no real argument against this unfortunately in terms of local council, electorate or campaigning. The Robins will have to find somewhere else to ride or just disappear. It's shit, but that's just commercial economics.  

[Simon Pieman]

The greyhound racing is an existing use that nobody can object to.

Why is that?

I'm not being funny or anything, I'm just not very clued up on the situation!

[TalkTalk]

The greyhound racing is an existing use that nobody can object to.

Why is that?

I'm not being funny or anything, I'm just not very clued up on the situation!

Because in planning law it has a precedence.

Think of it in terms of a shop. If it's a clothes shop, you can't decide to start selling take away food just because you feel like it, you have to apply for a change of use. Which means that any planning officers and committees have to decide if it fits in with local regs and is appropriate for the location.

So it is much easier to carry on with the previous trade. In the clothes shop example...clothes. In the stadium case, dog racing.

It's the same with houses, offices and industrial units. I could ask for planning permission to turn my house into a pizza restaurant or a brothel, but I'm extremely unlikely to get permission. Better off just staying as a dwelling.    Doh.

[Nomoreheroes]

Sad news. I regularly attended Speedway for about twenty years (from the age of about 3 months) in the 70's and 80's. Great atmosphere there and its been going for many years before that.

I did the same ! You didn't by chance stand on the 4th bend did you ? That was my haunt to watch the Ashby brother, Bob Kilby, Geoff Bouchard, Rolf Gramstad, Steen Mastrup, Jan Andersson, Bobby McNeil etc

NMH

[genf_stfc]

jimmy Nielsen, Rickard Hellsen with his leg sticking out - Legends

It is pretty noisy, you canhear it from Haydon Wick; I always rather liked it though - in the same way I used to like hearing the end of shift horn from the BREL works,  the Hercules from Lyneham, Concorde going over on its way to New York at a bit after 11am.  Made me think things were actually going on and a lot less annoying than church bells for example (which are OK in the distance, but never live next door to some !).

All gone or going now ... bloody hell i've come over in a Reg like nostalgic trance

[McLovin]

The greyhound racing is an existing use that nobody can object to.

Why is that?

I'm not being funny or anything, I'm just not very clued up on the situation!

Because in planning law it has a precedence.

Think of it in terms of a shop. If it's a clothes shop, you can't decide to start selling take away food just because you feel like it, you have to apply for a change of use. Which means that any planning officers and committees have to decide if it fits in with local regs and is appropriate for the location.

So it is much easier to carry on with the previous trade. In the clothes shop example...clothes. In the stadium case, dog racing.

It's the same with houses, offices and industrial units. I could ask for planning permission to turn my house into a pizza restaurant or a brothel, but I'm extremely unlikely to get permission. Better off just staying as a dwelling.    Doh.

Excuse my rubbishness, but does that not also apply to carrying on Speedway, as it's already there?

[TalkTalk]

Excuse my rubbishness, but does that not also apply to carrying on Speedway, as it's already there?

Indeed it does. Which is why losing the speedway element will be such a shame. It's going to be a hell of a lot harder to find another site and get planning permission. Unless it is in the middle of nowhere there will be a lot of resident objections on noise and there will also be environmental regs to meet.

 

[janaage]

I'm a local to the speedway, I never go, and I often here the noise of the engines from my house.

Personally i want the Speedway track to remain there, I have no problem with The Robins staying where they are.  Typical development crap.

If there's a petition (a proper one, not an internet one) I'll be signing it in favour of the club.

Good luck to all involved.

[janaage]

makes me laugh "local residents dont like it"

Well other than the houses down the side of the A419 (blunsdon) all the other nearby homes have been built in the last 5 years.

IF YOU DONT LIKE THE NOISE OF LOUD MOTORBIKES, DONT MOVE IN NEXT TO A SPEEDWAY TRACK YOU FUCKING MORONS

Absolutely - What a bunch of cunts!!!!!!!!!

Exactly I bought a house last year at Ash Brake, knowing full well that there's a Speedway track close by.  Like I say these NIMBY's can feck off.  I'm an IMBY!!!!!

Although I do hope the campaign to save the Swindon Robins won't be "SOS - Save our Speedway" they've got to come up with something more original than that.

[my-velocity]

a sad loss for Swindon sport. apart from STFC it's the only place where crowds of 2500 plus watch sport in the town

Do they seriously get that much??

[janaage]

They often have a couple of meetings a week up there I think.

Also where else in town attracts "World class" talent.  There was a grand prix up there not so long ago with all the best riders in the world.