MC7

I'm confused! Where has there ever been any connection between GI/Stadia UK and the re opening of Oxford??

It's already been done https://www.oxford.gov.uk/directory_record/1348/oxford_stadium

Ultimately, I think this will be the eventual outcome. As frustrating as it is though, the stadium 'changed owners' only a few months ago, so the council can't be seen to jump straight in to a CPO so will probably have hold off for a while.

The Oxford Speedway Supporters Club still hire a venue and show each Grand Prix round on a big screen with an all you can eat BBQ, apart from Cardiff where they put on a couple of coaches for supporters. They also do an end of season dinner each year with a guest speaker. All are still well attended.

If the stadium does get sold as a going concern and it is bought by a greyhound operator, then they'd presumably be responsible for fitting out the restaurant/bar area. Regarding the speedway facilities - much of it is still in place as it was left and would just need a good tidy up, with much of the equipment being stored off site. The only big expense would be an airfence/foam fence, but if other clubs can raise the funds to buy one by a challenge meeting or whatever then this shouldn't be too much of an issue. The main problem being waiting for the current owners to decide what they're going to do with the site! The whole site is designated as a conservation area. Even felling a tree without the correct permissions can have serious consequences for the owners.

The reason why there is no speedway at Oxford at the moment is because the current stadium owners won't allow it. If they would then I'm sure there would be an Oxford team riding there. It's not because there is no one willing to promote at Oxford or it is not viable etc.

The issue with the safety fence at Oxford for that last Flat Track meeting was that the safety fence on the bends was altered at the end of the 2003 season to accommodate the new air fences, which were made compulsory at Elite League tracks in 2004.In order to maintain the width of the track, the original fence was removed and a new structure was fitted 50cm or so further back, just using solid scaffolding poles as posts with a weld mesh to mount the air fence to, therefore making the new fence unsafe without an air fence in front of it. This was the concern with using the track without an air fence