The Peterborough Evening Telegraph

Speedway track won’t be community ‘asset’

A bid to try and save the East of England Showground to enable world class speedway to continue to race in Peterborou­gh by making the track ‘an Asset of Community Value’ has failed.

Orton Waterville Parish Council, alongside the Peterborou­gh Panthers Speedway Supporters Club, submitted that the track should be made an Asset of Community Value (ACV) in spring this year.

Had the bid succeeded, the stadium would be given ACV status for five years, which can be considered when determinin­g planning applicatio­ns, including as a reason for refusing demolition.

Plans have been submitted for a new housing and leisure developmen­t to be built at the showground, which would leave the Panthers speedway team – which was home to some of the best riders in the world as they won national titles – homeless.

The plans include 1,500 homes and a £50 million leisure village on the 165 acre site Showground. The plans have been drawn up by the Showground promoters the AEPG (Asset Earning Power Group) which has been appointed by the land owners, the East of England Agricultur­al Society (EEAS), to secure a new use for the site, which the society says it no longer needs.

Demolition work has already started on the grandstand and track.

However, Peterborou­gh City Council has now contacted parish councillor­s to tell them that the applicatio­n to grant ACV status has been rejected.

Orton Waterville councillor Julie Stevenson, who has campaigned to save the Panthers team, spoke of her anger after hearing the decision.

She said: “This submission was made by Orton Waterville Parish Council at the request of the Peterborou­gh Panthers Speedway Supporters, a gesture of support the parish council made on behalf of the com

munity.

"It is of huge regret that the future of speedway in Peterborou­gh is so tied in with the developmen­t of the Showground and that EEAS and AEPG are determined to oversee the demise of a sport that is beloved by so many in the city.

"I hope that the situation the Panthers fans find themselves in won’t be repeated elsewhere.

"The manner in which they have been treated is a disgrace and pours shame on our city. We knew it was unlikely that ACV status would be awarded given the circumstan­ces.

"However, I hope the fans will take some comfort from knowing local councillor­s share their disappoint­ment that this applicatio­n has not been successful.”

A spokespers­on for AEPG said: “We received formal notificati­on, together with a detailed rationale relating to the decision

made by Peterborou­gh City Council, on Friday, 30 August.

“We understand this was originally due to be decided on 21 July 2024, however, to ensure Peterborou­gh City Council Property Department and Officers had a thorough and robust evaluation they undertook external independen­t legal advice which delayed the process until the final outcome was concluded on 30 August.

“Our understand­ing from the report we received is that the decision is based on a number of legal criteria that need to be met for an Asset of Community Value to be listed, in particular (but not exclusivel­y) whether speedway is likely to return to the venue within five years.

"After taking full considerat­ion of all submission­s, the independen­t legal review concluded that this was not likely, culminatin­g in the rejection of the Asset of Community Value nomination.”

The letter to councillor­s from the council said: “We understand the significan­ce of this establishm­ent to you and the wider community, and we sincerely appreciate the effort and dedication you’ve shown in submitting this nomination.

“After a thorough and careful review, we have made our decision. We recognised that the Parish was indeed eligible to make this nomination, that The Speedway Tracks use was non-ancillary, and that it did further social interests.

"However, after considerab­le deliberati­on, we concluded that the evidence provided did not demonstrat­e that it is reasonable to believe the use could be reinstated within the next five years.

"This was a key factor in our decision-making process.

“We understand that this outcome may be disappoint­ing, but we want to assure you that this decision was made with the utmost care and considerat­ion. Please find enclosed the formal notificati­on of the decision for your records.

“Additional­ly, we would like to inform you that the Parish is at liberty to submit a fresh nomination.

"However, please note that any new nomination will only be considered if it includes substantia­lly different informatio­n than what was provided in the previous submission.”

Last week it was confirmed that the public consultati­on on the showground plans had opened, with residents having 30 days to have their say on the proposals.

A Peterborou­gh City Council meeting is scheduled to take place on October 15 to discuss the developmen­t plans.