Homes plan refusal 'momentous', say speedway fans

Peterborough Panthers speedway fans gathered outside the council meeting on Tuesday to renew calls for a racetrack to be incorporated in the housing plans

Speedway fans have welcomed a decision to turn down plans for 650 homes which would have meant a racetrack and grandstand being demolished and built over.

Peterborough City Council refused to grant permission for the development on the East of England Showground, but approved another application for 850 homes and a leisure village at the same site, with conditions.

The showground had been home to the Peterborough Panthers speedway team for 50 years, but they were excluded in developer AEPG’s £50m plans.

The Save Peterborough Panthers group has called the refusal a "a momentous achievement", with campaigners saying "hopes of a return for Peterborough speedway remain alive".

The development would have been built on the showground's former speedway track and grandstand

Independent councillor for nearby Orton Waterville, Julie Stevenson, who has been fighting alongside the campaigners, called for both the applications to be refused.

She called it a "huge victory" and said fans' "courage" played a "significant part" in the committee’s decision.

“Whether speedway can or will return to the showground site remains to be seen," she said.

"The land is owned by the East of England Agricultural Society and we hope... they will now work with the speedway supporters’ consortium to find a way to keep speedway in Peterborough."

The speedway track and its grandstand are on the part of the showground site covered by the 650-home development.

Those plans were rejected due to fears of “overdevelopment” of the area.

The British Speedway Promoters, which runs the sport, said it "would like to congratulate the Peterborough campaign team on their hard work and reaffirm our position that the sport should be returned to this historic and much-loved venue".

AEPG has planned to build 1,500 homes, a 250-bed hotel and leisure facilities

The two development plans for a total of 1,500 homes on the 164-acre site attracted more than 900 objections.

The application for 850 homes was passed with several conditions set within the next six months, including upgrades of Oundle Road and the Orton Parkway roundabout.

Independent councillor Kirsty Knight, who initially backed the plans, said although she was "pleased" and hoped they would help with the city’s housing shortage, she had now got some "serious concerns".

"The highways mitigation conditions were imposed for the 850-homes application assuming 1,500 houses were built and plans are approved," she said.

"But I am now concerned on the congestion the development will have if the conditions are not met.

"They [AEPG] were obligated to abide by them if they build more than 900 homes and only 850 homes plan was approved. This was an oversight of the committee who should have thought of it before rejecting the second plan.

"From my understanding, I don’t think speedway will have a chance at the showground, but I appreciate the passion and I am happy to work with them and find another venue."

A spokesperson for AEPG said: “We were delighted the officer’s recommendation was approved for the major application.

"We will continue to work closely with the [council] planning team on the next steps progressing the development of the showground."

They did not respond to the BBC's questions on the future of the showground and speedway track on site.