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On 07/02/2018 at 2:38 PM, cityrebel said:

Why didn't stadia UK build two new grandstands at smallmead, like what is being planned at Swindon. It had good road links and a perfectly shaped track. Surely better and cheaper than relocating to the proposed 'racino'.

Smallmead essentially ended-up being a traffic island with all the new development around. A dilapidated stadium was totally incongruous with the surroundings, quite aside from the lease issues.

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43 minutes ago, Humphrey Appleby said:

Smallmead essentially ended-up being a traffic island with all the new development around. A dilapidated stadium was totally incongruous with the surroundings, quite aside from the lease issues.

...which was a shame because the original concept had great potential when first built back in 1974.

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3 hours ago, Grachan said:

I believe the lease was shortened because they never invested in the stadium.

I understood that the lease was shortened long before Stadia UK took over.

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4 minutes ago, Hot Shoe said:

I understood that the lease was shortened long before Stadia UK took over.

According to Reg Fearman in his book the lease was 're-negotiated' during the Bill Dore/Pat Bliss era if I remember off the top of my head...good read by the way!

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1 minute ago, steve roberts said:

According to Reg Fearman in his book the lease was 're-negotiated' during the Bill Dore/Pat Bliss era if I remember off the top of my head...good read by the way!

The site was supposed to have been fenced, amongst other things, as a condition of the long lease. That wasn't done, so the lease was substantially shortened which became particularly problematic when the area became desirable for redevelopment. 

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Osbourne must just be playing the long game on this. He’ll get his way eventually as long as the council are too stupid to realise what he’s doing.

All he’s doing is slowly suffocating the appeal for the new stadium.

Constant delays and changes to the plan means the space around the stadium is slowly being taken up by housing. As long as that keeps happening he’ll be happy. Keeping the existing stadium where it is and shortening the track means that if he is forced to have to create the new facility, it will be cheap to build and the building probably barely permenant if they are using these fabled prefab blocks. We could see action in the new stadium, but the likely problems with parking and probable complaints coming from the residents will make the stadium’s existence untenable. The facility will be closed and razzed for yet more houses, just what he wanted all along.

I should imagine the inconvenience of going through with a half arsed stadium build will be small change compared to the income from eventually developing it for housing.

For as long as the new plans for the site have gaping logical holes in them, this is what I think is happening.

 

Osbourne is a complete snake, everyone should know that by now and not trust him as far as you can throw him. The BBC article on Torquay basically confirms it. Trouble is the plight of the robins isn’t a big enough story for the bbc or any national journalism, and the local paper and jounos such a saccharine bunch of press release re-hashers, that there’s no one about to do some proper investigitive journalism on it and ask some awkward questions.

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The Stadium, as is planned, may be o.k. for the needs of greyhoud racing, but is not suited very well for speedway spectators. The viewing will be poor, not enough seats available, and there is going to be problems with not enough car parking. All this will spoil the enjoyment for many to attend a speedway meeting at Swindon. People will slowly but surely dift away, until attendance figures will fall too low for the speedway promoters to keep it going, and the Robins will be history.

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4 hours ago, Bavarian said:

The Stadium, as is planned, may be o.k. for the needs of greyhoud racing, but is not suited very well for speedway spectators. The viewing will be poor, not enough seats available, and there is going to be problems with not enough car parking. All this will spoil the enjoyment for many to attend a speedway meeting at Swindon. People will slowly but surely dift away, until attendance figures will fall too low for the speedway promoters to keep it going, and the Robins will be history.

Well this is just brilliant news, the splithole at Blunsdon that people have been complaining about for yonks is going to fail because it will be a modern facility with clean toilets, better lighting and comfortable surroundings - best we rebuild all the derelict stadiums from yesteryear and the sport will thrive !

The Speedway has been propped up for years, this is an opportunity to increase attendance and consequently reduce the risk of closure surely?

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On ‎08‎/‎02‎/‎2018 at 11:21 PM, Speedy swindon pete said:

Osbourne must just be playing the long game on this. He’ll get his way eventually as long as the council are too stupid to realise what he’s doing.

All he’s doing is slowly suffocating the appeal for the new stadium.

Constant delays and changes to the plan means the space around the stadium is slowly being taken up by housing. As long as that keeps happening he’ll be happy. Keeping the existing stadium where it is and shortening the track means that if he is forced to have to create the new facility, it will be cheap to build and the building probably barely permenant if they are using these fabled prefab blocks. We could see action in the new stadium, but the likely problems with parking and probable complaints coming from the residents will make the stadium’s existence untenable. The facility will be closed and razzed for yet more houses, just what he wanted all along.

I should imagine the inconvenience of going through with a half arsed stadium build will be small change compared to the income from eventually developing it for housing.

For as long as the new plans for the site have gaping logical holes in them, this is what I think is happening.

 

Osbourne is a complete snake, everyone should know that by now and not trust him as far as you can throw him. The BBC article on Torquay basically confirms it. Trouble is the plight of the robins isn’t a big enough story for the bbc or any national journalism, and the local paper and jounos such a saccharine bunch of press release re-hashers, that there’s no one about to do some proper investigitive journalism on it and ask some awkward questions.

The classic bit about Torquay is that why on earth would Osbourne want to be  a football chairman ! he has little love for any  sport at all ...how times can this bloke keep pulling the same strokes at every sports venture he is involved in ..but still no matter how many times he does it you still have people believing   him when he puts out yet another false statement ...I find it completely amazing .

And even worst you have people high up in Swindon having a go at any supporter whe dares to doubt Osborne Clark ! and even worst is how the local media have let him off lightly when  they taking him to task and start asking questions ..

 

 

Edited by orion
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13 minutes ago, Whisperer said:

Well this is just brilliant news, the splithole at Blunsdon that people have been complaining about for yonks is going to fail because it will be a modern facility with clean toilets, better lighting and comfortable surroundings - best we rebuild all the derelict stadiums from yesteryear and the sport will thrive !

The Speedway has been propped up for years, this is an opportunity to increase attendance and consequently reduce the risk of closure surely?

I think you’re missing the point. We’re not complaining at the propect of a new stadium. If it were clearly a legitimate venture , swindon fans and hopefully the town in general would be bouncing about with anticipation of it being completed. But there’s been so much smoke and mirrors over the last 12(?!) years of this supposed plan (of which remember, didn’t even include the new stadium at all at the start. Osbourne has clearly never had any interest in the stadium being there), you can’t see it ever being a realistic success.

The revised plans should be bringing reassurance that this is all going ahead, however, the history of the project, Osbourne being the slimiest, slug of a man over many years now and numerous plot holes in the logic of how the site has been redeveloped, the plans just look like another delaying tactic to enable more land around the site to be swallowed up by houses.

The actual plans for the stadium whilst looking nice and modern at a quick glance, are so light on detail and seemingly less than ideal for speedway, you can’t help but feel that even if the council force Osbourne into creating the stadium, it’s going to designed to fail, straight off the bat. A couple of years of complaints from residents and apathy from the public, Osbourne is left with exactly what he wanted in the first place. A stadium that no one really wants on a prime piece of land for house development.

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19 minutes ago, Speedy swindon pete said:

I think you’re missing the point. We’re not complaining at the propect of a new stadium. If it were clearly a legitimate venture , swindon fans and hopefully the town in general would be bouncing about with anticipation of it being completed. But there’s been so much smoke and mirrors over the last 12(?!) years of this supposed plan (of which remember, didn’t even include the new stadium at all at the start. Osbourne has clearly never had any interest in the stadium being there), you can’t see it ever being a realistic success.

The revised plans should be bringing reassurance that this is all going ahead, however, the history of the project, Osbourne being the slimiest, slug of a man over many years now and numerous plot holes in the logic of how the site has been redeveloped, the plans just look like another delaying tactic to enable more land around the site to be swallowed up by houses.

The actual plans for the stadium whilst looking nice and modern at a quick glance, are so light on detail and seemingly less than ideal for speedway, you can’t help but feel that even if the council force Osbourne into creating the stadium, it’s going to designed to fail, straight off the bat. A couple of years of complaints from residents and apathy from the public, Osbourne is left with exactly what he wanted in the first place. A stadium that no one really wants on a prime piece of land for house development.

The answer is to welcome what is on offer, and support it when you get it, then nobody will see grounds to close it. Don't forget if Speedway was stopped, it's probable that the dogs wouldn't pay and they would lose the lucrative BAGS contracts for relayed afternoon racing.

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8 hours ago, Tsunami said:

The answer is to welcome what is on offer, and support it when you get it, then nobody will see grounds to close it. Don't forget if Speedway was stopped, it's probable that the dogs wouldn't pay and they would lose the lucrative BAGS contracts for relayed afternoon racing.

More rubbish from the North East, this latest planning app. is self evidently spurious and has no chance of approval as well they know.

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4 hours ago, JOS50 said:

More rubbish from the North East, this latest planning app. is self evidently spurious and has no chance of approval as well they know.

WOW. Saying that Swindon fans should support their speedway and you say it's rubbish. :D BTW. I would look up again the meaning of spurious.

More crap from you. This plan has more chance of working than the others beforehand, so the best that Swindon fans can do is embrace it whilst keeping due diligence if there is any changes.

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I think the best that Swindon fans can do is go and have a look at this car park where the stadium buildings are supposed to be.

 

I really do hope that it is built but there is certainly sufficient reason to be sceptical.

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On 29/01/2018 at 11:22 AM, Steve Shovlar said:

Looking at the computer pictures, what the hell is that box with Abbey Stadium on it? So a few windows up top to look out of? No terracing in the front? Useless!

This is surely just some feeble knock up and no good for viewing whatsoever. Flat in front so three deep at best. Or is this the outside of the stadium and the ‘track’ is just the road to the stadium?

 

AbbeyStadium_View4-ViewFromTheCentreOfTh

 

 

Although they have terracing planned either side the big gap in the middle is a bit of a waste, but clearly the planners only have dogs in mind, not speedway.

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