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THE Campaign Group are pleased to confirm our planning application for the regeneration of Brandon Stadium is now live – and now we need your help. The consultation period set by Rugby Borough Council runs until May 6, and all messages of support sent to the Planning Officer will be of vital importance. Full details of how to make your voice heard follow later in this communication, but firstly a reminder of what this application is and why we have submitted it. We first went public with our intentions last summer, at which point we ran our own consultation process and revised our plans based on feedback from local residents, which was almost universally positive. Our application was submitted to the Council earlier this year, and after going through the appropriate processes it is now active and can be viewed via the following link: https://planning.agileapplications.co.uk/rugby/application-details/34048 The most relevant documents to view are the Planning Statement, the Regeneration of Coventry Stadium, and the Statement of Community Involvement, but brief details follow below. Our application seeks to change the use of various buildings at the stadium in order to provide additional community-based facilities in addition to the return of speedway and stock car racing. It should be noted that the return of motorsport does not form part of the application as no planning permission is required for this – it is already the established use of the site. The fundamental changes are that Hangar No.1 on the stadium frontage will be converted into a museum celebrating the history and heritage of speedway and stock car racing at Brandon; the under-stand bar will be converted into a gymnasium incorporating treatment rooms and a climbing wall (open to the local community); and the former dog kennels will be converted into a bar and catering outlet. Further arising from these changes, the dog track will be resurfaced to become a cycle track, with cycle speedway and other cycling-related activities taking place. A large proportion of the tarmac infield will be re-surfaced to allow for the staging of equine events. The Great Britain Speedway Team will relocate their training base from Loughborough University Elite Athlete Centre to Brandon and form a Centre of Excellence, including their Academy system for developing youth riders through established programmes. One question which may well be asked is, why submit a planning application on a site we do not own? The answer is to clearly demonstrate that a viable alternative exists to the policy favoured by the current owners, which has been to shamefully facilitate the destruction of the stadium and cause maximum grief for residents via non-existent security, and to then attempt to use the condition of the stadium as a reason to support a planning application aimed squarely at the building of houses which are not required by the Local Plan. Our application is endorsed by businessman Warren Hunter, whose offer to buy the stadium remains neither accepted nor rejected nearly two years on, and it also has the support of numerous international, national and local companies, as well as individual tradespeople, all willing to provide time, materials and skills to rebuild the stadium. So how can you help? The answer is to send an e-mail or letter in support of this application to: erica.buchanan@rugby.gov.uk or Erica Buchanan, Rugby Borough Council, Evreux Way, Rugby CV21 2RR. This response should quote reference number R22/0071 and be submitted before May 6. It is important to state here that what is not required is a comparison between our application and that of the developers. You are not being asked to make a choice between the two, and the application will be judged on its own merits regardless of the current Brandon Estates submission. Please concentrate on the positives of this application, which will provide upgraded facilities to assist health and well-being in the local community, as well as re-opening the stadium as the UK’s top oval motorsports facility. We believe our proposals represent the most sustainable use of the site, and are entirely consistent with both the recently adopted Local and Neighbourhood Plans, as well as fully complying with policies in the National Planning Policy Guidelines, and are consistent with the wishes of the vast majority of the local population. Please show your support for this application to the e-mail or postal address shown above. A reminder of the deadline, which is May 6.

Same as it will be if you buy one

Think it’s more down to the fact he averaged exactly 6.00 when he last rode in the championship and people expect him to not ride professional speedway for 2 years and then turn into an 8.5 average number 1

He will be there ,but still missing !

Opening fixtures normally attract big crowds. Matches against Northern teams normally attract visiting fans desperate to see their team in action. Yet for some reason this match has been chosen to be one of Glasgow's streamed meetings. This is likely to result in few if any diamonds fans making the journey north which would be a shame as they are a good lot, normally. Surely a meeting between the Tigers and Poole or Plymouth for example is the type of meeting that should be streamed. Anyway a comfortable home win for the Tigers is the prediction with very few viewers watching the stream.

it clearly will. the heat format massively favours teams with at least two no1 riders. It's why Glasgow don't win the title because they don't back up Cook with another big hitter. They go for riders on a perceived low average. Basso/Brennan might hit no1 level this season and the strategy might work. In the current format the top two have an extra ride each and heat 13 and 15 potentially gives you an 8 point advantage. Heat 2 and 8 just don't offset because even if you build strength in depth by definition those lower averaged riders are not guaranteed to always deliver 8 points from those heats. If you're Poole and you have 3 no1's capable of beating all of the opposition there are only 3 heats in which one or more of them don't appear. i.e. only 3 heats the opposition can realistically get a heat advantage. Even then if your top three has scored 41 between them and the others are guaranteed 3 points they only need another 2 points to win. Clearly speedway matches aren't won on paper but the winning strategy is obvious. It's why Poole follow the strategy and are successful. They know what they're doing. Well played and within the rules but if it's detrimental to the product because there aren't enough heatleaders to go around or some of the teams can't afford them then you end up with less teams to defeat.

Not a chance especially against a team built to win EVERY home meeting

Well he was fighting fit.

They can when run on the right day at the right time with a good field of riders.

Garry May has won league titles and cups by doing exactly that for years. Every recruited reserve rides on exactly that basis. They knew how they would get used during the meetings and were paid accordingly. They agreed to the set up and it worked well. Sometimes riders think they deserve more than they do and have a hissy fit if they don't get their way. well maybe they need to earn it, show the team manger what they're worth. First job as a reserve has always been to be better than your other reserve team mate. Every Garry May team I've been involved in knew the situation from the start. He's one of the most open team managers I've known for working with his riders and telling them exactly what is expected of them. I'd rather work with Garry like that, than half the TMs in the league who turn up to fill in a programme and get a bit of fuel money

A friend of mine who usually takes 5 people to a meeting gave it a miss on Saturday because they were bored with the one-sidedness of the the previous meetings. She will now pick and choose which meetings to watch for entertainment and I'm sure there's a few more like this. Not Leicesters fault obviously but it does highlight the need for the league to be competitive to keep people interested

UK Speedway is unique in that you basically choose your own level to compete in... You get hardly any publicity for winning anything and there is no major financial reward for victory... In fact. Success can (and has), helped close tracks down... There is no promotion or relegation meaning that many meetings become pretty much 'dead rubbers' as we hit mid season, given it is often clear by then who will qualify for the play offs and who won't... And. Getting beat regularly at home can dissuade home fans from attending but similarly, hammering teams regularly at home can also have the same negative impact to crowd levels,, especially when play off positions are virtually assured months out, and weak opposition are in town... Therefore. Having close racing throughout a meeting, and keeping scores close enough to remain "interesting" has to be the major priority, and the only way to do that is equally share out those riders who make the main difference to both the racing standard and the score line, ie. The Heat Leaders.. And if that means a deadline in place of say December for each team to say they will run then so be it, and should they come to the table after that then they run NDL...

yeah and how did that work out for them??? Same owners turn it around? Or saved by wealthy owners? Not intended as a pop at Glasgow. They've turned the clubs fortunes around and it would be great if others could do the same but there just aren't that many potential owners able to risk making a loss. There will always be team at the top and a team at the bottom but if the team at the bottom has no chance why would you pay to watch? I recall Glasgow rocking up at Newcastle with Martin McKinna as 2nd heat leader and thinking there's only 4 heats worth watching here, the ones with Lawson in. Indeed they eventually folded and by the time they became Workington they only lasted weeks before being expelled for fielding too weak a side. It's just not good for business. The fact that you hope the Diamonds strengthen up by including Ben Barker tells me everything I need to know. Without him last season the Diamonds wouldn't have hit 25. Starke might do something similar on Friday and Complin might take a liking to the track but we're talking all 7 Diamonds over performing to get anywhere near 35. The thrill of it.

If you're a Belle Vue fan would be 600 mile round trip. That's North of 150 quid in fuel in a decent car. So at least 200 quid. Seem Plymouth streaming last week and it was superb quality. Sit at home spend 12 quid save 200. No brainer.

I've sent in my email. If Oxford can come back so can Brandon. I've moved out of the area (nearer to Oxford now!) but would still travel to attend some meetings throughout the season. I suggest a link in other topic areas to get as many people noticing as possible.

I used to go regularly 2006-08 when they were second division and sporadically before that, it's a lovely little track when prepared well, small but not turn-yourself-inside-out tight. Unfortunately since then its often resembled a ploughed field from what I've heard and seen. Used to do amazing fish and chips too, all in the middle of nowhere surrounded by trees and fields. Was a cracking Sunday afternoon out in the right weather.

Hope James is OK and a swift recovery. Its not done his speedway career any good all these grass track crashes but i suppose he earns significant sums on the grass / long tracks especially abroad.

Looking at the mess that was the u21 semi final yesterday, do you think any of those riders not currently attached are anywhere near champ level? As that's the riders your be promoting

A lower team limit total and the continued inclusion of the RS system in the championship would of helped with the present rider issues

Lakeside were never supposed to have Fridays as their official race night, it was supposed to be Saturday, but Cook had the management over when he released his fixtures. Hence the back lash.

Morris one ride, Nielsen 2 rides and a Tactical substitute for one of his other rides.... It certainly doesn't make us stronger....Shanes is better than Nielsen atm. Not much in it between Ash/James. P.s More importantly...Hope James is ok and wish him a speedy recovery!

Lets be honest if the sport had a few more ben barkers ,chris harris, and a lot less gating tarts people might turn up to watch each week !

A lot of people on this thread talking about rule changes to make meetings closer. I don't think changing the rules is the answer, there are enough already. You can't just change rules to cover up for bad businesses making bad decisions. they all have the same opportunity at the start of the year. Guess what, some of them are better at it than others. Equality of opportunity I'm all for, but some here want equality of outcome. If you've built a rubbish team with rubbish riders who don't entertain, that's your fault and your business will suffer. But if you start manipulating as much as some want to on here, you won't make the product any better. What are you gonna do next, re run a race because one rider missed the start and it wasn't very entertaining? If riders don't want to ride for a club, find out why they don't want to, and make it attractive. If you've got a poor track, change it. If you pay poor wages late, change it. If you want to run the club better, change it. If you want more customers, provide better value. Sure we all want fantastic racing every race, but these complaints are from the same people who think the racing 30-40 years ago was fantastic with loads of entertainment. Go watch some of the YouTube meetings from back then, most were absolute borefests. We just choose to remember the good things about the past, not the bad. Some of the clubs in this league are where they are because of how they choose to run, there will always be the have's and the have nots. We've had wage caps and max numbers of 8.00pt + riders before, they don't work, because the promotors themselves go against there own rules within a week of signing them off. And no it isn't always the usual suspects. I don't think the answer is to manipulate the rules even more to produce the 'perfect meeting' Most home fans will have gone home happy enough. The home promotion less so after paying out a lot of points money. You can't just bring everything down to the lowest level all the time or we end up in a cess pit.

We don't have enough available riders for one league

The costs of streaming remain the same exactly the same set up.

Could be great news for all Coventry fans. I attended several meetings at Brandon in the 60’s and always enjoyed my visits.

You should know by now speedway and creditability don't go together

Put the top 3 in each team as a collective, rather than any individual figure.. Then the riders who run 9 or 10 point averages can still get places, and be probably the most important signing the ciub makes given their status.. There will be those I am sure though who think "tough", and that some clubs will just have to make do with what they have.. And if any of the titles in UK League Speedway carried any great kudos, or financial return, I would 100% agree.. But sadly due to the way the sport is operated, they dont, so the thing that sells the sport the most is the entertainment value on offer, or at least a close meeting score wise.. Having such disparate difference from top to bottom does no one any favours from a business perspective..

Just bloody watch it and find out Live on the edge and don't buy a programme,,, it makes you feel alive and care free

Just out of interest,, do you ever look back and see if you got scores right? And if so,, have you?

Luckily (used lightly) its just concussion, so mandatory absence.

so one ex Management Committee Chairman screwing another over - you couldn't make it up!

I haven't seen the 2022 team suits but they can't be any worse than the previous one's - You just have to add a red/white bobble hat & hey-presto you get Father Christmas!

Very true an 8.01 rider could end up being picked by the weakest club for the lowest wages, as it's them or no team. Then a 7.99 rider can ask for a kings ransom as he's so valuable to any team!

Just seen BWD has had a meeting with Alexander Armstrong to interview as Richard Osman's replacement. (Ouch! Sorry, just a friendly little dig there between rivals. Will probably come back to bite me on the bottom later lol).

I get up there whenever I can, bank holidays etc or "special" meetings

Tell that to the promotion at Belle Vue, they've got the best track in the world, consistently produces top class speedway racing and yet can't get anywhere close to filling their stadium for a league match with a catchment area of around 2.7 million people

If anyone feels they would like to donate to Kergel as a way of thanking him for providing us with hours of Polish Speedway please PM me.(kergel is Latvian).

The following ex-West Ham riders have said they are coming: Barry Duke, Alan Bellham, Alan Sage, Brian Leonard, Mick Handley, Stan Stevens, Vic Cross, Alf Hagon, Barry Crowson, Reg Fearman, Norman Hunter, Reg Luckhurst, Ted Ede, Terry Stone, Dave Jessup and.........Sverre Harrfeldt.

I didn't ever see any racing at Halifax, but did once see the stadium when the track was still down. It did look a tight squeeze, as I recall.

Just shows the talent in NZ , tracks must be a lot different to uk, or was he spending too much time in the sheep paddocks?

2018 season steve Worrall broke his leg in first match for scunthorpe and they used a guest for the rest of the season.

https://vk.com/video-81427162_456239145?fbclid=IwAR1FYQruT5bKwal728kXE7pUeSNDHpdxMfvEkNiqzueRb6QkLx94BONma04

I see roynon has missed the 2 minutes, probably looking to see where bwd is hiding ..

Takes me back to my Sunday League playing days in the mid 80's and early 90's... Used to get a tenner a game to replace some under performing, or "injured" players in big games... Obviously no internet then so my registration was not quite up to speed, and no photo identification either... Never an issue as long as I remembered who I was if (usually when), I got booked... Always wondered why the refs never got suspicious when they booked me and I said my name was "Steve such and such", or "Paul somebody", when for the previous hour all the players were shouting "Mike"... A mate of mine used to do the same and sometimes we were against each other and sometimes on the same side.. Looking back now, we were like the "Scotty and Bomber" of the Stockport and District Sunday League....

Unless all Championship teams build to Newcastle strength & have a clear gap between Prem & Champ! Also make it easier for NDL riders to step up!

You have to remember that the racing rules for Team GB meetings are different to those in the League.

Apologies - tried to post race card and failed. See next post

Even more so considering he is prob similar to that age!

Birmingham to win easily, Poole fans to be nowhere near Perry Barr but comment on social media like they were sitting in the pits.