Peterborough Panthers fans given fresh hope after similar redevelopment plans in Coventry rejected
But plans for the East of England Showground remain in the balance
Last updated 26th Jan 2024
Speedway fans in Peterborough may be feeling hopeful their track will be saved after plans to demolish another speedway venue in the country have been rejected.
Peterborough Panthers are currently homeless because of plans to redevelop the East of England Arena into housing.
In Coventry, speedway at the Brandon Stadium stopped in 2016 - but A planning inspector this week dismissed an appeal to demolish the venue and build houses on it.
An appeal from Brandon Estates Limited against a refusal by Rugby Borough Council to redevelop Coventry Stadium were turned down by government planning inspector Helen Hockenhull.
The plans for the stadium, home of the Coventry Bees speedway team until 2016, include building more than 100 homes and a 3G sports pitch.
This may give Panthers supporters some room for optimism that plans to redevelop the East of England Showground won't prove successful.
Sarah Miles is a Panthers fan and the club's fixture programme editor:
"I think it gives us a little bit of good news and there's a precedent now," she said.
"I totally understand the need for more housing, but people don't want to sit at home and watch TV; they want places to go to.
"For me, personally and I hope for a lot of fans, it's a positive reaction that says 'if we can get behind our club like Coventry people did behind theirs, we could have the same answer as Coventry did'."
Developers Asset Earning Power Group's (AEPG) plans for the 165-acre Showground site include 1,500 homes and a £50 million leisure village.
Previously, AEPG said it's "not commercially viable" to continue running speedway beyond last season, citing reason such as falling attendances and less events held on the site.
In November, hundreds of Panthers fans held a rally in Peterborough city centre in support of keeping speedway at the Showground.
Panthers at point of no return, say AEPG
In a statement, AEPG said their applications cannot be directly compared to Coventry Stadium because "the Showground is allocated for development across the whole site.
"Over the next few weeks we will be submitting to the Peterborough City Council (PCC) planning portal an independent report which will provide a factual position that clearly identifies why Peterborough Panthers will not be returning to the Showground."
AEPG added that their plans "provide a compelling and robust vision that benefits the whole City, both in terms of financial and community benefit.
"Our economic impact assessment delivers over £1m per week into the local economy and 1,000 jobs post development amongst other health, wellness and community benefits."
This week, plans for a DHL car storage depot which would take up less than a third of the Showground site were approved.
"We have to keep speedway within the city"
"I'm hoping the (Peterborough City) council will see what's happened to Coventry, see when you've got a group of people that want something to survive that we have at Peterborough, we are going to push it to the end.
"I think the key thing is making the council understand their local plan that if AEPG are to redevelop that area, there is another provision for us to go.
"We have to keep speedway within the city walls."
A consortium, which includes the likes of Panthers co-promoter Carl Johnson, is due to talk to Peterborough City Council on next steps in due course.