Blunsdon Abbey Stadium - Sbc Planning Meeting

[SwineTown]

Planning Committee

Tuesday, 9th November, 2010 6.00 p.m.

Venue: Swindon Borough Council Chamber, Civic Offices

Contact: Iain Tucker

Telephone 01793 463605

email: itucker@swindon.gov.uk

Link: SBC Page

 

LINK: Plan of proposal

 

Item 14.

S/07/1365

Outline application for the demolition of existing stadium and construction of new stadium, with youth training facilities,

16,745 sq.m. of business (B1) floor space, a care home and 450 no. residential dwellings

Access not reserved Abbey Stadium, Lady Lane, Swindon pdf icon PDF 216 KB

 

Additional documents:

 

* 2. AIR PHOTO 07 1365 Abbey Stadium and Business Park Lady Lane Swindon, item 14. pdf icon PDF 328 KB

* 3. EXISTING SITE PLAN 07 1365 Abbey Stadium Business Pk Lady Lane Swindon, item 14. pdf icon PDF 574 KB

* 4. ILLUSTRATIVE MASTERPLAN 07 1365 Abbey Stadium Business Pk Lady Lane Swindon, item 14. pdf icon PDF 722 KB

* Appn 9 S_07_1365 Abbey Stadium update and reaffirment inc Feb 08 report, item 14. pdf icon PDF 264 KB

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry if this has already been posted - been off-forum for ages.

[RedcarRacer]

Hmm, so is this good or bad? Sounds about like Reading to me, and with that new housing estate nearby would be highlu suspicious of this. Good luck to the Robins with this.

[Grachan]

Who knows if it's good or bad. I think the one thing in our favour is that the current stadium doesn't get demolished until the new one is built I believe.

[Steve Shovlar]

Thought all this had been dealt with and the new stadium HAD to have a new track to get the required planning permission.

 

Might be worth contacting that MP again who gave support to make sure he is aware of this.

[MattK]

Interesting. I thought this had already been approved two years ago?

[speedibee]

Hmm, so is this good or bad? Sounds about like Reading to me, and with that new housing estate nearby would be highlu suspicious of this. Good luck to the Robins with this.

I'm with you on that , councils and developers are definitely not to be trusted . Long Eaton and Reading are 2 recent lessons to be learned .

[SwineTown]

After a difficult season with some lower attendence, the club looks very vulnerable to me right now.

I only found out about this because I was posted a notification direct from SBC due to previous contact and comment.

 

AFAIK there has been:

(1) NOTHING on the main Robins site or forum.

(2) NOTHING in the local press

(3) NOTHING on local radio

(4) NOTHING via this forum

 

Glad to be proved wrong on above BTW

[Dornier]

Not that chestnut again ! next it ll be that belle vue chestnut .

[SwineTown]

A few key extracts from the new application:

-----

ii. The application was considered in February 2008, having first been deferred by

committee in September 2008.

 

Officers re-established contact with the applicants on

the 4 January 2010 to advise that under Article 25(11)(a) of the Town and Country

Planning (General Development Procedure Order) 1995, the Local Planning Authority

could be minded to dispose of the application as more than six months had passed since

the expiry date of the application with limited progress made towards engrossing the legal

agreement.

 

4 The applicants subsequently confirmed that they were still committed to the project but

owing to the effects of the recession which had caused serious problems for the

commercial and residential markets, the viability of the development had been brought

into question.

 

The applicants now seek a variation of the draft condition 4 to extend the maximum

period for the submission of the first reserved matters application after grant of outline

planning permission from 3 years to 5 years. Furthermore they wish to vary condition 5 to

delay the start date of implementation of the first reserved matters approval from 3 years

to 5 years of the date of the planning permission.

 

Link: http://ww5.swindon.gov.uk/moderngov/Published/C00000281/M00004359/AI00023128/$Appn9S071365AbbeyStadiumupdateandreaffirmentincFeb08report.docA.ps.pdf

[SwineTown]

At the February 2008 committee and following detailed negotiations at officer level, an

overall package amounting to some £2.6 million was agreed as part of this application.

 

The applicants argue that in light of the economic crisis, the viability of the scheme has

been seriously impaired and “could not carry the additional burden of increased costs

brought about by further contributions under the Section 106 agreement”.

 

22 At the time that this committee approved the application there was a shortfall in the

amount of contribution the Council requested versus what was ultimately agreed of some

£1.13 million. This gap has now increased to around £2.62 million. In light of the view

expressed at the time that the future of Speedway at Abbey Meads was under threat,

Members agreed to accept the lesser package in respect of the housing which would act

as enabling development for the construction of the new stadium. Whilst the Speedway

continues to operate from the site, it is clear that the facilities are grossly out of date and

continues to deteriorate.

 

It is acknowledged however that despite fears that the sporting facility would close

if planning permission was not given for the residential

element of the scheme, the Abbey Stadium and its associated uses has nevertheless

managed to stay operational for the past two and a half years but continues to deteriorate

as a facility with the Swindon Robins remaining as an Elite League team.

[Fiesta]

Wouldn't trust stadia uk (gaming international) In anyway. Hate for Swindon to become the next Milton Keynes and Reading.

[philfromcov]

having just read the document, they want to extend the period of "doing nothing" from 3 to 5 years, so nothings going to happen.

#

plus the costs the council now want has almost doubled what the devloper wants to pay.

 

i would suggest that nothing much will happen until 2015 at the earliest

Edited November 5, 2010 by philfromcov

[Deano]

so nothings going to happen.

 

 

Exactly my thoughts.... I would advise fans need to read the application carefully, just in case, there are any other changes that could effect the continuation of speedway.

[bobxski]

Thought all this had been dealt with and the new stadium HAD to have a new track to get the required planning permission.

 

Might be worth contacting that MP again who gave support to make sure he is aware of this.

Justin Tomlinson is his name and he is now a Member of Parliament for North Swindon.

He was canvasing a few weeks ago for the upcoming local elections and I mentioned about the work he did for the Robins a while back.

He was keen to emphasise that nothing would progress with the developement if speedway and the dogs were not allowed to continue and they had the support of the council so fingers crossed.

[BritPete]

I couldn't see this anywhere else, so I have put it in here.

 

 

http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/8627404.New_life_breathed_into_stadium_plan/

[P T Preece]

Sounds promising,lets hope it gets built and not become another Reading.

[tomcat]

I couldn't see this anywhere else, so I have put it in here.

 

 

http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/8627404.New_life_breathed_into_stadium_plan/

 

 

Did you read the comments from readers at the bottom of that article.... the anti greyhound

mob are out again.... sad sad people.

 

Anyway, good luck to all at Swindon speedway, specially the fans. Hope the new stadium gets built sooner rather

than later.

[MattK]

Who knows what is going on with this.

 

I guess at the end of the day Stadia UK run stadiums and if they demolish the old stadium and build commercial and residential property in its place without constructing the new stadium, then they will be losing their core business. If they continue to demolish their stadiums and not replace them, they won't have much of a business left.

 

Of course, there's nothing to stop them selling the houses and re-investing the proceeds into buying more land to build on, but then that would make them property developers.

[cityrebel]

the dreaded GRA have been Property Developers for years. they purchased and demolished so many famous venues just because of their land value. i wont believe anything until the proposed new stadiums at reading and swindon start being built.

[Fiesta]

Who knows what is going on with this.

 

I guess at the end of the day Stadia UK run stadiums and if they demolish the old stadium and build commercial and residential property in its place without constructing the new stadium, then they will be losing their core business. If they continue to demolish their stadiums and not replace them, they won't have much of a business left.

 

Of course, there's nothing to stop them selling the houses and re-investing the proceeds into buying more land to build on, but then that would make them property developers.

 

Stadia UK CEO - Clarke Osbourne, who is also a Director of Pontins, who have plunged into Administration today (thought the UK holiday scene was booming)

As I have already said Stadia UK have a shocking record when it comes to promises over stadiums, the fact that Blunsdon is falling into rapid decay is very worrying, do they have an alterior motive??