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Post by fastfire212 on Sept 20, 2013 9:31:57 GMT
I don't think it's worth pursuing the 'save Wimbledon Stadium' campaign for its present designation of greyhounds and stock cars and hopes for a speedway comeback.
The great god of soccer will reign supreme. Merton Council will deny any favouritism in regard to this but their real hopes appear to be in regard to AFC Wimbledon back in the area.
I hope that local voters share their enthusiasm? 
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Post by Administrator on Oct 2, 2013 21:36:36 GMT
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Post by Administrator on Oct 4, 2013 9:16:07 GMT
I wonder how much Wimbledon's motor sport (stock cars now and previously speedway) will be considered in some in the new proposals for the Wimbledon Stadium.
Greyhound racing is to the forefront at the moment it would be seem but I have not seen any initiative from either speedway or stock car supporters to co-ordinate or start similar movements.
For speedway, a few Posts on the British Forum, Wimbledon Discussion Forum or Wimbledon Supporters Club forum or on here are not going to progress a possible speedway return. And so far as I can see on stock car forums they are talking in terms of one - just possibly a second future season, then "that's it" so far as they are concerned.
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Post by 2crossedhammers on Oct 4, 2013 19:01:50 GMT
My guess is that both speedway and stock cars will not get a look in if the suggested new development embracing a greyhound stadium goes ahead.
All the running is being made by the greyhound people but so far as I can see there's no concentrated effort by supporters of the two motor sports to co-ordinate their hopes of Plough Lane or even make any sort of effort to liaise with the We Want Wimbledon Stadium (I think that's the group's name) who are campaigning in such a determined and excellent way to safeguard their sport against the AFC Wimbledon football group.
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Post by baldeagle on Oct 5, 2013 14:13:19 GMT
I think you're right. Both motor sports out of the running in a hoped for greyhound-related Wimbledon Stadium. Neither of them has any co-ordinated scheme for inclusion whereas it does seem the doggy folk have just that.
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Post by baldeagle on Oct 12, 2013 22:01:48 GMT
The comments on the future of Wimbledon Stadium have suddenly gone cold. Let's hope it's a good sign and that AFC Wimbledon are not getting a clear run for taking over the place.
Isn't the matter due for another debate by Merton Council soon?
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Post by Administrator on Oct 15, 2013 15:48:47 GMT
I have just received this email from Merton Council. I feel it may be of interest although doubtless other forum members who contacted the council will have received a similar response.
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Dear Sir/Madam
Thank you for your comments to the Leader of Merton Council received in August 2013 regarding the Wimbledon Greyhound Stadium site. Your support for the retention of a mixed use stadium is noted.
The council is proposing that the site be allocated in Merton’s draft Sites and Policies Plan for “intensification of sporting activity (D2 Use Class) with supporting enabling development”.
The council believes that this approach would support a wide range of different types of sporting proposals, which could include a new greyhound stadium.
Merton Council submitted the Sites and Policies Plan to the Secretary of State on 2nd October 2013, who has appointed an independent planning inspector to examine the plans, including the Wimbledon Greyhound Stadium site. More information can be found here:
www.merton.gov.uk/planning/sites_policies_plan.htm
It is important to note that the council is not proposing any specific schemes for a new stadium at this stage, we are simply proposing that anyone who wants to redevelop the site in the future should develop it for sports purposes. If the inspector agrees with the council that the site should be used for a sports stadium in the future, then interested parties could submit plans containing the specific proposals for a new stadium that they want to build. To date (October 2013) no planning application has been submitted for the site.
Any planning application for the site would be advertised on Merton Council’s website and consulted on and you would have an opportunity to comment.
If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact us.
Regards,
futureMerton
London Borough of Merton
London Road
Morden SM4 5DX
Tel: 020 8545 4141 / 020 8545 3837
Fax: 020 8545 3326
E-mail: ldf@merton.gov.uk
www.merton.gov.uk
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Post by Administrator on Oct 16, 2013 7:24:55 GMT
An interesting comment on the stock car Oval Racing Forums website re the Merton Council letter:
Re: wimbledon
by smash hit » Tue Oct 15, 2013 7:17 pm
Reading that it says THE SITE is to be used for SPORTS it doesn't say anything about housing. So greyhound and stock car track could be retained.
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Post by Administrator on Jan 12, 2014 7:39:03 GMT
Now on the BSF
racers and royals on 11 Jan 2014 - 6.06pm said
Racing Post article today
By Jim Cremin 3:38PM 11 JAN 2014
IRELAND’S National Asset Management Agency (Nama) has stunned greyhound supporters by backing the plans put forward by Galliard and appearing to rubbish the alternative Paschal Taggart-led vision for a new world-class greyhound stadium.
Mark Pollard, senior asset manager at Nama, in a December 11 letter to Planning Inspector Robert Yuile released under disclosure rules to interested parties, describes “speculative third party approaches”.
“All such approaches are given due consideration,” he writes, “but in this case are not being progressed. None of these ‘alternatives’ are from as strong and experienced a home builder in Galliard Homes nor offer the deliverability of the sporting facilities.”
He added: “Nama hold the loan advanced to the stadium owners GRA (Galliard),” and says the Galliard proposal is “viable, deliverable and most beneficial to the area through its regeneration with primarily sport and residential uses. The proposal does not require any third party land holding or co-operation and can thus be implemented in the short term.”
Such support from Nama is potentially seriously damaging with the planning inquiry due to open on Wednesday week at Merton Town Hall in Morden.
Indeed, Diane McLean, the greyhound owner and barrister leading the We Want Wimbledon campaign, on Friday expressed her astonishment at the letter and says she has immediately written to Pollard, sending copies of her response to Irish government ministers and other interested parties.
McLean questions whether it is appropriate for a governmental institution such as Nama to lobby another country’s governmental body in charge of an independent review, and highlights Taggart’s track record and the ferocious opposition from residents to a football stadium.
She points to the support from the Mayor of London for greyhounds and the excellent performance of the existing greyhound operation despite it being so “run down”, and stresses that funding is in place for the new stadium, stating: “Unlike a 20,000 capacity football stadium, [it] will require minimal changes to planning. I am therefore very puzzled as to why Nama has not given any due consideration to these plans. This must surely be contrary to the best interests of the Irish taxpayer?”
She underlines that Taggart’s plans have been on record with Merton Council and the Mayor’s office since last February unlike the “speculative” plans of AFC Wimbledon and Galliard Homes, which only came to fruition last month.
McLean went on: “Perhaps of equal significance is the fact that an Irish governmental department, set up for the benefit of the Irish taxpayer, should wish to be party to extinguishing a valuable, and cultural, part of the Irish economy.
“The Irish greyhound industry is worth €500m to the national economy of Ireland and supports approximately 10,300 full-time and part-time jobs. Furthermore, the industry generates a gross wage bill of €207m per annum and the tax contribution from this employment is estimated at €21m.
“The Irish greyhound industry has a very high reputation internationally and has an acknowledged pre-eminence for greyhound breeding. Has Nama not considered the long-term economic effect to Ireland should it be party to closing the last remaining greyhound stadium in London?”
McLean added on Friday: “Paschal has always seen this as being about the future of the Irish and British greyhound industry, and it beggars belief that an official Irish department could take such potentially destructive action.
“On the other hand, we have been buoyed by the decision of Oxford City Council on Wednesday to turn down the Galliard scheme there, and the hard work going on there, with real Parliamentary and local support, is something we can replicate for Wimbledon.
“I call on Nama to reconsider their position. We are happy to meet with Mr Pollard and other officials there, and for all greyhound fans not to lose the faith. We can and will win this battle.”
My comment::
:::::::::
What a poor intro to the article by the witer. It isn't until the fifth and sixth paragraphs that we get the clues that it's Wimbledon Stadium.
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Post by Administrator on Jan 12, 2014 7:50:53 GMT
A BSF Follow up by Arthur Cross re the 'Racing Post' article:
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The Racing Post's greyhound section, probably correctly in terms of its regular readership, has long since regarded the future of Wimbledon Stadium, wrapped up in the soap opera of Galliard, Nama and the We Want Wimbledon campaign, to be its biggest behind-the-scenes story by a wide margin and therefore covers any new developments in the story assuming its readers are well clued up about the key people/groups.
Jim Cremin's article in today's paper may well have been hastily written before last night's print deadline depending on when the Nama letter and Diane McLean's reaction came to light yesterday ... while I can understand your criticism of the way the article's written when you've only seen the article itself, the actual presentation on page 83 of today's paper makes it very clear the story's about Wimbledon with a correctly-captioned picture of the track at the top, the headline mentioning WWW, Nama & Galliard in the middle and then Jim Cremin's article underneath.
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Post by Administrator on Jan 28, 2014 9:35:27 GMT
It's hard to find press coverage of the recent Merton Council inquiry into the future of Wimbledon Stadium. This is all I could find - it's from a recent edition of the local Guardian newspaper but does give some perspective on what tookplace. It also mentions that the public inquiry findings will be releasd in April.
http://www.croydongu...edon_dog_track/
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Post by Administrator on Feb 14, 2014 9:20:25 GMT
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Post by Administrator on Feb 14, 2014 16:39:57 GMT
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Post by Administrator on Apr 9, 2014 6:32:05 GMT
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Post by Administrator on Oct 23, 2014 8:29:52 GMT
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