Developer invites business case from speedway team

The redevelopment of the Eat of England Showground has left the Peterborough Panthers without a home after 53 years

Developers are calling on supporters of a speedway team to build a business case to prove their viability at the track it has called home for 53 years.

Asset Earning Power Group (AEPG) wants to build wants to build 1,500 homes, a leisure complex, primary school and care home at the former East of England Showground in Peterborough.

But Carl Johnson, former promoter of the Peterborough Panthers speedway team, told AEPG bosses to "include us in your plans or find us a new home".

The city team has the backing of British Speedway Promoters (BSP), who said: "Speedway was an integral part of the Peterborough life for 53 years."

Peterborough Panthers found themselves evicted from the 165-acre (66.7 hectare) showground site as it undergoes a £50m redevelopment - which does not include a speedway track.

The viability report for the speedway team, published by AEPG, has been disputed by Peterborough Panthers and their supporters.

David Row, from the BSP, told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire the report was "not a reality" and called it "anecdotal evidence".

"You just can’t ask Panthers fans to go to Leicester or Milton Keynes to support their team," he said.

Mr Johnson called the support from the BSP "reassuring".

"They [BSP] don’t want to lose any more tracks to developers,” he said.

"Every rally gets at least 1,500 people. We can prove that. The viability figures they came up with are nowhere near the truth.

"We want to be part of the community they are building and stay at the Showground as a first option."

Asset Earning Power Group's (AEPG) plans, external for the showground include a leisure complex, up to 1,500 homes, a hotel, primary school and a care home

AEPG founder and chief, Ashley Butterfield, said a lot of expertise went into the preparation of the report.

He has invited the six-member consortium supporting the speedway team to present a business case to keep the sport at the showground.

"The showground is owned by a East of England Agricultural Society charity which had subsidised operations of the Speedway for 53 years," he said.

"It will have to invest and fund the losses of the game but it can no longer support a non-viable activity."