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.
