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I was talking to a group from Swindon (non speedway fans) yesterday who gave me an update regarding the new stadium at Swindon. Apparently the old stadium is about to be demolished but it's not clear when work starts on the replacement one? I hope that this doesn't turn into another Reading based on false hopes. Anybody any news (I can't find any reliable information) as Blunsdon holds many memories for yours truly?

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My tennis club has just got planning permission to build houses on part of their grounds. One of the requirements imposed by the council in granting planning permission was that the new floodlight courts must be completed before any of the houses can be occupied. Surely the Swindon planning committee would imposed similar restriction on the building of the new stadium.

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There is a restriction that no more than 200 houses can be occupied until a contract is signed to build the new stadium.

 

Does anyone honestly think that in a country with a housing crisis, that it will be remotely difficult to get that little caveat about a stadium overturned? Imagine an empty housing estate waiting for people to occupy the houses and some Councillors telling them, "NO! You can't house people until a speedway stadium is built"- yeah right!

 

The developers have got Swindon's Planning Dept wrapped around their little finger with that kind of emotional blackmail tactic.

 

As a speedway fan I hope it won't come down to that, but in the real world you just know that kind of thing could well happen.

 

Yeah, Reading all over again IMHO. All promises, and probably zero delivery.

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Does anyone honestly think that in a country with a housing crisis, that it will be remotely difficult to get that little caveat about a stadium overturned? Imagine an empty housing estate waiting for people to occupy the houses and some Councillors telling them, "NO! You can't house people until a speedway stadium is built"- yeah right!

 

The developers have got Swindon's Planning Dept wrapped around their little finger with that kind of emotional blackmail tactic.

 

As a speedway fan I hope it won't come down to that, but in the real world you just know that kind of thing could well happen.

 

Yeah, Reading all over again IMHO. All promises, and probably zero delivery.

 

 

It has Reading wrote all over it tbh

I sincerely hope that you are both wrong.

 

Like, maybe, an idiot, I took the Statement about a new Track at face value.

 

It is inconceivable that Swindon doesn't have a Speedway Track. They have a great History.

Edited by The White Knight
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Looks like Swindon Council are set to grant planning permission for housing on the small piece of land directly opposite the entrance to the current stadium:

 

http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/13954567.More_houses_set_to_be_built_in_North_Swindon/

 

I wouldn't be surprised if in the future Stadium UK argue that building a motorsports venue in the middle of houses isn't economically viable.

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Greyhound stadium at Wallyford, near Edinburgh got planning permission on the provision that a number of houses were built first. Houses built, some steel work for stadium goes up, more houses built, no more stadium built, more and more houses built, still no stadium. Every couple of years the guy pops up with "Work to resume on stadium" Still nothing, this has been ongoing for a few years now. By the way no motor sports permitted.

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I feel sorry for the Swindon fans who may have been mislead and for speedway as a whole to see another team disappear. Regrettably a pattern has already emerged and it is unbelievably naive for those responsible for Swindon speedway to take at face value the nonsense being spoken by those who have no vested interest in seeing the sport continue. Those in charge hang your heads in shame for what you have done.

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Does Swindon really have a housing crisis?

 

Of course it does. It has been made clear by Government that there is a national shortage of houses. Get real!

Yes peeps mainly from Berkshire/Oxfordshire want to buy houses in the Swindon area as on average they are over 100 grand cheaper than Reading and Oxford. Then they try to commute back east on increasingly choked-up roads.

 

This is a confirmation of what I said in the previous comment.

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Greyhound stadium at Wallyford, near Edinburgh got planning permission on the provision that a number of houses were built first. Houses built, some steel work for stadium goes up, more houses built, no more stadium built, more and more houses built, still no stadium. Every couple of years the guy pops up with "Work to resume on stadium" Still nothing, this has been ongoing for a few years now. By the way no motor sports permitted.

Have agreed the Wallyford situation was a total con by the buyer .No intention of building a stadium just selling land for housing.Every 2/3 years there is something about taking guy to court( Irishman I believe)Steel work has been there for at least 15 years I reckon perhaps some Edinburgh fan will confirm this.no chance of motor sport ever being there now IMO .
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Does Swindon really have a housing crisis?

 

 

 

 

Of course it does. It has been made clear by Government that there is a national shortage of houses. Get real!

 

 

What do you mean "get real?" I live in NZ it was a genuine question. IT's also quite rare for a housing crisis to impact a whole country, generally it impacts specific areas only, hence the question with regards to Swindon.

certainly I've seen quite educated/knowledgeable folk, such as SCB and Sir HA, dispute that there is shortage of housing in the UK, and they have pointed out that there are actually many vacant buildings in parts of the country.

 

 

Yes peeps mainly from Berkshire/Oxfordshire want to buy houses in the Swindon area as on average they are over 100 grand cheaper than Reading and Oxford. Then they try to commute back east on increasingly choked-up roads.

 

 

TBH, that doesn't sound like a housing crisis, that sounds like the standard case of people moving "one suburb/town" out to be able to afford a decent house in a commutable location.

Auckland has a housing shortage (wouldn't use the word "crisis"), which has seen prices rise by over 30% this year (some suburbs by well over 50%). . I'd expect prices to have risen by at least that if there is a genuine "crisis" in swindon, but that doesn't seem to be the case (Sid will be laughing if it is). If prices rise too much, people will look a further suburb out, if prices aren't rising enough then people won't be incentivised to sell. Looking online at Swindon house prices, they seem pretty reasonable?

 

crisis is quite an emotive word. Personally, i'd consider it to be a housing crisis if you had people out on the streets, because there are literally not enough houses for them to live in, or they cannot afford to rent in even the most basic accommodation. Is this the case in Swindon? In UK as a whole?

 

 

 

Edited by waihekeaces1
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Perhaps the most significant date currently published for anything to do with this saga is that Sky's upcoming greyhound schedule includes its annual trip for Swindon's biggest dog race of the year, the Arc final, on Wednesday 23rd March 2016.

 

(Swindon picked up the Arc competition from its traditional home at Walthamstow when that track closed in August 2008).

 

This date was published in the last week of September this year, a fortnight before the Swindon Robins staged the extravaganza billed as speedway's farewell to the current stadium.

 

http://www.racingpost.com/news/greyhounds/bags-tv-green-light-for-2016-derby-double-header/1962763/top/

 

Even if the new stadium does get built, it's just about impossible for it to be ready for that Sky date in just over 4 months' time given it hasn't even begun to be built yet.

 

Hence Sky must be anticipating setting up their cameras for that Arc final around the current dog track rather than a new one ... what's more, they'd be turning up to that current dog track only 2 days before one of the most lucrative days of the year for Elite League speedway because it's a very early Easter in 2016 and so Good Friday crops up on Friday 25th March !!

 

So well done to anyone involved with speedway at Swindon for managing to hype-up and stage a supposed farewell to the current speedway track around a fortnight AFTER it had already been announced elsewhere that Swindon would be welcoming Sky's greyhound coverage during the early stages of the next speedway season !!

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What do you mean "get real?" I live in NZ it was a genuine question. IT's also quite rare for a housing crisis to impact a whole country, generally it impacts specific areas only, hence the question with regards to Swindon.

certainly I've seen quite educated/knowledgeable folk, such as SCB and Sir HA, dispute that there is shortage of housing in the UK, and they have pointed out that there are actually many vacant buildings in parts of the country.

 

 

"Get Real" - then read this. And there's a lot more available if you care to Google for it.

http://england.shelter.org.uk/campaigns/why_we_campaign/the_housing_crisis

Edited by Guest
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"Get Real" - then read this. And there's lot more available if you care to Google for it.

http://england.shelter.org.uk/campaigns/why_we_campaign/the_housing_crisis

none of that article mentions swindon, which was where i specifically referred to? Can you nprovide me with a link that says Swindon has a housing crisis?

 

I guess also it depends on your definition of "crisis", which seems to be extensively used, but is a very subjective term. That article refers to increasing unaffordabiliy of houses to buy. As a comparison, Auckland house prices are now approximately 11 times the average full time Auckland salary. Yet we don't describe it as a crisis, though from what I've seen Britains houses are not at that level?

The article says evidence of the crisis is that there are approximately 2000 Brits without a roof over their head. While clearly not desirable, that's a tiny fraction of the population, and I would think comparable to most western countries?

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