Perry Barr speedway fans' sadness over arena demolition plan

The stadium on Aldridge Road in Perry Barr could be the site of new housing

Speedway enthusiasts have expressed a mixture of shock and sadness over plans to turn a stadium into new housing.

Developers want to bulldoze the Birmingham Brummies arena in Perry Barr and replace it with 427 homes when the operator's lease expires in 2026.

They say the housing "will vastly improve Perry Barr and deliver real value".

But the proposal has been met with a pledge to fight to keep the sport in Birmingham.

The site's sporting links date back nearly 100 years.

The proposals for Perry Barr Stadium, also home to greyhound racing, detail a mix of 338 apartments and 89 town houses.

The scheme would be known as The Races in homage to the history of the landmark.

The project, by developer Corbally Group for Aldridge Road, is expected to mirror the apartment complex built across the street as an athletes village for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and spiralling costs meant they were not ready in time for the Games and the 1,000 flats all remain empty.

The venue is the 'lifeblood of the sport', one fan says

Brummies fan Derek Ramsdall, 63, from Kingsbury, said it would be a sad day if the team was forced out of Perry Barr.

"I've been coming to the speedway here since about 1971," he said.

"Everything else has shut down but here in Birmingham, we've got to have some sort of motorsport."

Paul Gallet, from Tamworth, echoed the sentiments, saying: "This will go so what will be left? You used to have Coventry, Cradley… Wolverhampton's under threat at the end of the season and, if we go, there won't be a track left in the Midlands.

"This area used to be the lifeblood of the sport."

Corbally Group wants to replace Perry Barr Stadium with a new housing estate, known as The Races

Nigel Tolley, who runs the stadium, said: "I've got speedway in my blood, I've come back after 30 years to put some more life back into speedway. This threat of losing our stadium is a bolt out of the blue.

"Speedway in Birmingham is a 100-year tradition. We'll be fighting all the way to keep the speedway in Birmingham."

He added: "We've got three or four plans in the pipeline and my job as CEO is to ensure that the Brummies have a future."

Mr Tolley said if the Brummies did become homeless, one answer could be a move to nearby Alexander Stadium.

A planning application is being prepared and is set to be submitted in the coming months.