Leicester Lions 2015

[SteveLyric2]

Holder and Batchelor are the Aussie Pair with North as reserve.

[lionstigersnotbearsohmy]

Watching the sky match from Kings Lynn & people moan about the racing at Leicester #dire

 

I guess that makes the 'racing' served up at Leicester acceptable then.

[lionking]

It was better then the rubbish served up last night

 

I guess that makes the 'racing' served up at Leicester acceptable then.

[weatherwatcher]

The original planning permission in 2010 was granted to a company called Beaumont Sports Complex Ltd (BSC), to be responsible for building the various facilities and associated infrastructure. To enable them to do this, and on condition that planning conditions were followed properly, they were granted a lease on the land by the owners, Leicester City Council.

BSC Ltd has never actually traded as a company, no annual accounts ever filed, and is officially classed as "dormant".

Despite this being the case, the Speedway stadium was built, with the remaining land being used for tipping of rubble. The premise under which the rubble tipping has been allowed, is that it serves to enable the necessary ground level raising, to prepare for the sports facilities to be installed.

As we know, the other sports facilities have yet to be created, and what we have is land covered in rubble.

Leicester Speedway Ltd (LS Ltd) carries out speedway operations but to my knowledge has never been the legally-appointed leaseholder for the land, or holder of the planning permission. This is an "active status"company, but limited by its memorandum to operating speedway etc at the stadium, presumably on a sub-lease basis from BSC (the mysteriously dormant company).

However, since 2010 and up to the end of last year, Leicester City Council had received about £75,000 from a combination of business rate payments, "rental and lease income", "sporting facilities" and planning fees.

This could only have been paid by parties other than BSC Ltd, perhaps LS Ltd (and/or others), because it couldn't have come from BSC. David Hemsley is the sole director of both BSC and LS, by the way.

This also begs the question as to who carried out the "ground level raising" operations (or rubble-tipping as some would see it), and was any money received and if so by whom? It would have been difficult for it to have gone into the coffers of BSC as the leaseholder and responsible development company, as that company has never officially traded. So who did pocket any income thus derived - and what was done with it? Make your own judgements on that.

Last year, Leicester City Council stomped around a bit and the original planning permission had to be revised and updated. One of the new requirements, was for a new "development plan" to be agreed between LCC and (presumably) BSC, designed to kick start the long-awaited development of the other sporting facilities. There was an August 2014 deadline for this plan to have been agreed with immediate start of implementation. This date came and went, without any such agreement being reached, and to my knowledge it still hasn't.

So what, if anything, will LCC do? Terminate BSC's lease and rescind the planning permission maybe? LSC would then become (officially!)direct tenants of LCC, as the latter would own the stadium. But in doing that, would LCC also become responsible for footing the bill to restore the rest of the land to its original state?

Or will they just allow the current status to continue, with the planning permission a meaningless and un-enforced document, the "landlords" not really existing, and the land continuing as a rubble tip - and happy as long as some income keeps on coming in, probably from Leicester Speedway Ltd or whoever is paying it?

Thank you. That clears it up for me. Just hope that some time in the near future we see something done to clean up the area and make it a bit more presentable.

Just hope we can do the same to the Bees as we did last time. The only thing is that we must up the game and start wimning the away matches, or languish at the bottom of the league again.

[lionstigersnotbearsohmy]

It was better then the rubbish served up last night

 

It must have been a pretty miserable spectacle then!

[SPEEDY69]

Faster does not equate to better! I am of the opinion that racing has suffered since the advent of high-revving engines.

[Council Tip]

Thank you. That clears it up for me. Just hope that some time in the near future we see something done to clean up the area and make it a bit more presentable.

Just hope we can do the same to the Bees as we did last time. The only thing is that we must up the game and start wimning the away matches, or languish at the bottom of the league again.

No problem Weatherwatcher. Happy to be of help.

Just to clarify my answer slightly - Leicester City Council owns the land the stadium sits on (as well as the rest of the area) but of course Leicester Speedway Ltd owns the "fitments" of the stadium.

When the revised planning permission was drawn up last year, it required certain work to be done with the stadium itself (such as extra noise prevention), as well as work to the surrounding land.

I've not been up there for a long while, but it sounds like not much, if anything, has been done to the land surrounding the stadium to carry out that work. As for the stadium, it sounds like there's been some work carried out but I've no idea if its been done to the council's satisfaction.

My guess, for what its worth, is that City Council would prefer to not rock the boat much, as long as they've got some money coming in from the speedway. To get involved with more serious action would presumably cost them quite a bit in legal fees etc.

Hope you get a couple of good, closer matches with Coventry this weekend!

[barrow boy]

Faster does not equate to better! I am of the opinion that racing has suffered since the advent of high-revving engines.

Most of the riders are just winding it on and then fighting to get around the bends. Are the bikes now too fast for tracks which have not been made bigger. Too many incidents now as a result of riders losing control when being put under pressure.

[weatherwatcher]

I have been having this out in the forum about early injuries this year. I do think that the bikes are now getting well over the top, me I would bring back the old upright engine and lay more dirt on the track.

It would make far better and closer racing, with the riders having to re learn how to ride a speedway bike properly, using the trottle and haveing more control over the bike. All we see now is the riders shooting off from the tapes and then a dick follow the leader type racing, that is if you can call it racing.

But it all boils down to would the riders want it, or is it now just a fact that money talks.

[Gemini]

 

 

All we see now is the riders shooting off from the tapes and then a dick follow the leader type racing, that is if you can call it racing.

 

I can remember seeing some diabolical matches at the old Blackbird Road track with processional racing in the 70's and 80's so I don't think things are that different these days. There's usually three or four good races during a match, perhaps one or two exceptional ones if we're lucky and the rest not so interesting......just like its always been.

[robert72]

Watching the sky match from Kings Lynn & people moan about the racing at Leicester #dire

you cannot compare a bad meeting at Kings Lynn to 4 years of gate and go at leciester.

 

kings Lynn is a proper speedway shaped track and not like Leicester a oversized cycle speedway track

[BTFC LION]

All bikes and engines should be bolt standard, then it would be all down to rider ability, will never happen though as to many people within speedway making lots of money tuning engines.

[weatherwatcher]

They should all be bolted up at the factory and not opened up unless, they got sent back there or to an agent in other countries. There is far to much messing around with the engines, and not as it used to be in the garden shed when you got the bike back after the meeting, the top tuners are making big money out of the top riders, those below that haven't got that sort of money, will 9 times out of 10 find themselves behind the big guys.

Make it standard and keep it like that.

[Nobblytriers]

you cannot compare a bad meeting at Kings Lynn to 4 years of gate and go at leciester.

 

kings Lynn is a proper speedway shaped track and not like Leicester a oversized cycle speedway track

But sadly it isn't just 'a' bad meeting. According to some fans, the track is not what it used to be and there are more FTG races then they'd like. Apparently Buster, the track man, is 'the man for the job' so why do we end up with these processions? I don't think it's just about track shape. If it was, with a top track man and the right shape it would be great every week ... wouldn't it?

[T.N.T.]

For those that posted before a wheel was turned ....... do you still think Leicester are play off contenders ?

 

 

Even using a good guest like Rory Schlein you got stuffed, yes by Coventry who ARE play off contenders but Leicester are down in the also rans in my opinion along with Lakeside, Swindon and ...... W .... Wo ....... oh you know who ;}

[justathought]

Bjarne Pedersen has had his best days, he'll maybe have the occassional good meeting, but generally a also ran performace can be expected. I like Simon Lambert I watched him every week when he rode for Sheffield. He can't ride the Leicester track, never has been able to. We got rid of him in the PL days now we bring him back to ride in the EL. So unless changes are made we are nowhere near a play off team.

[SCB]

Bjarne will come good - ok he's not the rider he used to be but he should be good for a solid 7 a meeting. It might seem odd but he's ride at #1 for Eastbourne and did a decent job so why not try that? I think by September you'll be saying he wasn't a bad signing.

 

Lambert though, never made sense.

[Paddy The Rebel]

Bjarne will come good - ok he's not the rider he used to be but he should be good for a solid 7 a meeting. It might seem odd but he's ride at #1 for Eastbourne and did a decent job so why not try that? I think by September you'll be saying he wasn't a bad signing.

 

Lambert though, never made sense.

He is riding in a tough position especially away.last yr at Eastbourne you could say riding at 1 was easier than at 5 so that's why he kept his average around the same. It will be a lot tougher this yr to maintain his average imo.

[flagrag]

I am not 100% sure about Pederson but if you make a quick decision who else is there out there to replace him we struggled enough to get him and Walasek, So unless there is another rider who has changed his mind about UK racing it may be a case of waiting and hope for Bjarne to turn it around and that he doesn't decide to quit the EL.

 

Lambert is another story as others have said he has been poor in every match and was dropped from PL side as not good enough. The question is who on the draft list is best to replace him this year ? In my view the changes need to happen soon as if we are not careful come next Mon we could have done 4 EL matches with no points

[robert72]

I am not 100% sure about Pederson but if you make a quick decision who else is there out there to replace him we struggled enough to get him and Walasek, So unless there is another rider who has changed his mind about UK racing it may be a case of waiting and hope for Bjarne to turn it around and that he doesn't decide to quit the EL.

 

Lambert is another story as others have said he has been poor in every match and was dropped from PL side as not good enough. The question is who on the draft list is best to replace him this year ? In my view the changes need to happen soon as if we are not careful come next Mon we could have done 4 EL matches with no points

I think DH needs to replace the team manager followed by pederson & lambert if the lions don't want to repeat last seasons position at the basement of the league.