MANY of you will be aware that Brandon Estates have recently submitted a revised planning application – and we are now calling on ALL speedway and stock car fans to submit their reaction.
The consultation period is now open and runs up until August 11, so it is vital that you respond within the next ten days or so.
Back in early 2018, Rugby Council received an astonishing total of 1,800 letters and e-mails, almost without exception objecting to the developers’ proposals.
This response, along with our own detailed submissions and the findings of an Independent Report, ensured that the initial planning application never even reached the stage of determination.
However, we are now into a new phase, and therefore whether or not you submitted a response in 2018, we urge you to do so now.
The crux of the application is that the developers have now shifted totally away from their failed attempt to prove that the stadium was unviable, that there was no ongoing need for it, and that speedway and stock car racing was satisfactorily provided for at other locations.
Their attempt now is to include, within their application, provision for a floodlit 3G football pitch and associated facilities, and they are attempting to make the case that the benefits from this “clearly outweigh the loss of the current or former use.â€
We will totally dispute that argument and expose it for what it is: a desperate backdoor attempt to get around National Planning Policy Framework section 97(c), and we already have substantial evidence to use in our response.
Once again, the developers and their representatives have made incorrect and untruthful statements about the state of the two sports they have evicted, and again we will be issuing a detailed response to this.
But every submission from the public is crucial, and we urge you to write or e-mail and register your objection to these proposals.
You do not need to make lengthy submissions, and each letter/e-mail must be a personal one rather than a petition - but naturally the point that a floodlit football pitch can in no way be seen to replace a World-famous international motorsports stadium is a very good starting point!
You can also make reference if you to wish to any personal memories of Brandon, the history of the stadium, and the need to protect sporting venues such as this – a fact which was firmed up in the Rugby Local Plan, which confirms the borough’s housing target has already been met.
It should be remembered, of course, that this development is not really about the ‘community boost’ that a 3G football pitch is supposed to provide: it is actually about building 100+ houses, making huge profits, and in the process destroying years of sporting history.
One other factor to bear in mind is that despite news of our own planning application which we made public in recent weeks, please limit your responses to comments on the developers’ plans only. This is not an ‘either/or’ scenario, and our own application has not been submitted yet as our focus at this stage has to be on our response to the developers.
We do sincerely thank everyone who responded to the consultation on our own plans, and there were some very interesting and useful suggestions made, many of which we will look to incorporate into the final version.
We plan to contact local residents again over the coming days with an update, but the response in 2018 came from far and wide, right across the motorsport world, and we need this to happen again.
Your submissions should include your name, address, and a reference to planning application number R18/0186.
Once again, we urge you to send your response to the Council by August 11. As we saw in 2018, every single response makes a difference.
If you do not feel that a 3G floodlit football pitch (and the housing, of course) should be given the go-ahead to replace our stadium, PLEASE send that response.