Brandon Update

[naffer 442]

Warren hunter is the ex stock car person who indeed is not short of a bob or two.

David carter is part of the save Coventry speedway and stock car campaign group.

 

equally looking forward to Matt Ford speak I am sure he will have prepared and be ready to fight his corner.

 

[Toady 231]

5 hours ago, Skidder1 said:

I think the chap(Mr Carter?) who is a Stox enthusiast and has a family of Stox drivers, was very positive about buying the stadium and renovating it in phases. His statement that he made 2 previous offers to purchase the stadium but didn't get any reply, was well made and surprisingly not challenged by BE!!.

He owns a multi-million packaging company (I can't recall the actual figures, but certainly £58m+ was mentioned), He would manage and run the stadium and would gladly work with Matt Ford on the promotion of Speedway - also unchallenged!  It'll be very interesting to hear Matts comments/evidence on Wednesday.

David Carter is a chartered town planner( and as naffer says member of stox).The gov inspector acknowledged this pointing out for fairness that they had never met before he gave his evidence.

[Coventry_Bee 467]

So after finally catching up on most of the weeks events it’s quite apparent that this will go down to the wire with Brandon Estates and the council along with the SCS group really showing how evidence is cross examined and my word a few of the guys had a tough time. 

I have seen comments about when will the state of the stadium come up but as it’s a planning issue being looked at and in the councils opening statement i don’t think it actually matters in the context of this hearing however in the broader evidence that will no doubt be looked at by the lady appointed by the Secretary of State it’s quite clear and I’m sure has been seen many times the woeful neglect of the stadium will be clear to see. Phil Morris was absolutely brilliant and after the hard time Neil Allen was given I was fearing the worst but then after seeing it when the tables are turned it’s clear to see that anybody being cross examined gets equally a grilling and water is sipped at quite a rate. The surprise from the SCS group was that the lack of action plan when Mr Hunter was asked as such but then as mentioned with no access to the stadium and the condescending way it asked about structural engineering backgrounds etc. But B.E don’t have much to go on so anything is going to be tried to give them any kind of advantage. 

Mr Eady spent most of his time in the cross examination so far back you couldn’t hear him or so close it was hurting my ears listening. When he was asked questions most of it was “if that’s what he said” or ask someone else further down the line. His back up for viability was sketchy at best and again it’s all centred around speedways viability and not the fact stox is the main money earner is totally irrelevant to B.E funny enough.Not knowing how many riders in a team, not knowing about Oxford and the best bit was trying to fluff his way through the Swindon question. The 3G pitch saga nearly sent me to sleep on many occasions but funny enough considering the way Brandon Estates speak about it and how it’s so good for the local area, well it obviously wasn’t on at least the first 2 plans they submitted as it’s not included it’s only when that box needed ticking that they decided to do anything so it’s clear they’d never in a million years have bothered unless that had too so they have no thought still for the community only making millions of pounds. Looking at the latest plan, the football pitch is on the left hand side of the site as you enter from rugby road but at the back of the houses already lived in. So these houses will potentially have 7 day a week  noise from football pitch, floodlights  and car noise right at the bottom of their back gardens. Nice touch ! 

I hope the guy from Bradford is able to make it and also Matt Ford, it will really need people with some presence in the cross examinations as the guy for Brandon Estates will be as annoying as he was this week. Phil Morris gave him as much as he got and as much as the legal teams try to be pedantic the facts are the facts and being strong and confident during cross examination is all important. No doubt Mr Osbourne will have some obscure reasoning behind the Swindon venture but hopefully the SCS and especially the Council legal team will be as good as they were this week. The man for the council I think is especially good and he will need to be the same next week as the closing statements will hold be massively important in trying to get the appeal to hold up our way. 

 

Edited September 23, 2023 by Coventry_Bee

[Argos 262]

If the Planning Inspector refuses the appeal does this mean that Speedway will return? Is it either Housing or Speedway?  Couldn’t THE owners sell the land to someone else who could use it for other purposes, I can’t see the owners ever sell to SCS, Hope I’m wrong 

[arnieg 3,643]

10 minutes ago, Argos said:

If the Planning Inspector refuses the appeal does this mean that Speedway will return? Is it either Housing or Speedway?  Couldn’t THE owners sell the land to someone else who could use it for other purposes, I can’t see the owners ever sell to SCS, Hope I’m wrong 

No. The owners are not obliged to run speedway or lease the stadium to anyone who would. They could reinstate the stadium, but more likely is that they will submit a further application for housing possibly after a couple of years of further decay.

[MattB 177]

25 minutes ago, arnieg said:

No. The owners are not obliged to run speedway or lease the stadium to anyone who would. They could reinstate the stadium, but more likely is that they will submit a further application for housing possibly after a couple of years of further decay.

I've said for the last seven years that stopping BE building on Brandon will be the "easy" bit.  Getting it back of their hands is going to be the toughest task, given they appear to have no intention whatsoever of selling it.  

[kitten2502 262]

Having tried to understand who is who, working out who is counsel for which side, one thing remains a mystery to me - who is the Ricky Gervais "Derek" character representing? 

[iainb 5,017]

1 hour ago, kitten2502 said:

Having tried to understand who is who, working out who is counsel for which side, one thing remains a mystery to me - who is the Ricky Gervais "Derek" character representing? 

Coventry Council

[iainb 5,017]

Have they got the day off today?

[SPEEDY69 1,260]

I watched the Phil Morris & CVS section and have been following the rest on here.  I was surprised more was not made of the demographic - kids and Granddads, because 3G pitches or other 'leisure facilities' mentioned here and with Peterborough seem to cater for active participants, not spectators, young old and disabled.

[Skidder1 7,637]

1 hour ago, iainb said:

Have they got the day off today?

Oh it's not just me then? What's going on?

[iainb 5,017]

2 minutes ago, Skidder1 said:

Oh it's not just me then? What's going on?

It looks like the 9 day inquiry is only an 8 day inquiry with half days on Fridays 

[Piotr Pyszny 206]

1 hour ago, iainb said:

Have they got the day off today?

Ms Hockenhull said at the end of Friday's proceedings, the inquiry would resume on Tuesday.

[Piotr Pyszny 206]

I note Helen Hockenhull was the planning inspector who in 2021 overturned Harrogate Council's decision to refuse permission for a drive-through Starbucks on Harrogate Road (local to me) then awarded full costs of the hearing against the local authority!

Edited September 25, 2023 by Piotr Pyszny

[Piotr Pyszny 206]

20 hours ago, arnieg said:

No. The owners are not obliged to run speedway or lease the stadium to anyone who would. They could reinstate the stadium, but more likely is that they will submit a further application for housing possibly after a couple of years of further decay.

Given the state of the housing market, Brandon Estates is probably content to wait another two years or so.

Edited September 25, 2023 by Piotr Pyszny