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Lakeside Future In Serious Doubt


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8 minutes ago, Brian said:

The talk of discussions with Essex County Council have been kicking round for a couple of years. I suspect now we'll see just how close they are to finding a site.

Hope the discussions go better than Cradley have with Dudley council.

Sad news for speedway again

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Once the site was sold the writing was on the wall. The crowds after a positive start have dropped off. The public want more for their money than standing in a stadium with poor facilities. After the rye house closure, this is a real kick in the teeth for fans in the South East. I attended the first ever meeting there in 1984, and I will miss the old place, and the friends I've made there over the years.

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That article mentions north and east, the raceway is actually west of the retail park and south west of the main shopping complex, so this is probably another area, maybe just maybe someone will buy the land who wants to improve what is already there, long shot? the complex needs serious investment though and more uses, its clear the family who currently own it were asset rich but actually in terms of cash were very poor, so the raceway was just left to get more and more run down.

There are not many places you can visit having not been there for 30 years and say, ow this place hasn't changed one bit, Arena Essex is the exception.

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24 minutes ago, liam said:

Absolutely gutted speedway at arena has been a part of my life for many years. Sad day for me.

Sad day indeed mate. I’ve been going to Arena my entire life, it’s not just speedway and my club that I’d miss but all the memories I’m reminded of when I’m there. I can’t help but feel a bit pessimistic about the future of the Hammers at this stage but I really hope there’s some encouraging news to follow from the promotion.

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3 minutes ago, old bob at herne bay said:

So it’s Saturday night championship racing at Hoddesdon in 2019 for the Rye House Hammers.

 

Maybe Dean Wood will step in and run it under the spedeworth banner,same as he does at Mildenhall. I hope so i have a lot of good memories of arena when i raced in the bangers there.

Martin. (also of Herne Bay)

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4 hours ago, marko said:

That article mentions north and east, the raceway is actually west of the retail park and south west of the main shopping complex, so this is probably another area, maybe just maybe someone will buy the land who wants to improve what is already there, long shot? the complex needs serious investment though and more uses, its clear the family who currently own it were asset rich but actually in terms of cash were very poor, so the raceway was just left to get more and more run down.

There are not many places you can visit having not been there for 30 years and say, ow this place hasn't changed one bit, Arena Essex is the exception.

The beyond Lakeside project is Arena Essex 

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sad day indeed  jon and stuarts very short statement shows that they are still hoping to stay

onsite but with most new owners they will promise this and that to make it sound like they

care what local people want then once signed on the dotted line its sorry change of plan gonna

flatten it so I for one do not give much hope for staying there.

maybe the answer is rye house which is ok for me as I am right in the middle of both rye and lakeside 30/40 mins

but I do feel for the hammers fans coming from south of the river as that would proberbly take nearly  2 hours

with the traffic at the tunnel. well lets hope  the hammers can carry on wherever. going to Ipswich tonight

so will see if I can find out a bit more  COYH.

PS

just heard a rumour that drawings and plans for a housing estate and unbelievably a velodome are under way

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11 hours ago, KevH said:

Jon Cook and Stuart Douglas have been looking for a new home for the Hammers for a while now..........let's hope there is some positive news to follow.

 

 

 unfortunately, after Manchester Council got their fingers burnt over the Belle Vue project very few councils in these cash strapped times will be inclined to put much time and effort into helping a speedway club.

The proposed shopping centre re development is still a few years off with planning permission etcs, so its possible the new site owners will give the club some form of accommodation. The last I heard, redevelopment of the whole area is on hold until a decision is taken about the new Thames crossing either at Purfleet or Tilbury

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In that case then we are probably knackered, but if you had told me back in the mid 90s speedway would still be going at the stadium in 2018 I would have been amazed so really I’m just glad it lasted as long as it did,  no one ever really expected the place to remain untouched for ever.

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I think their will be a few fan's up and down the country keeping their fingers crossed that they have  speedway to watch in 2019. If you believe everything you hear from other track quite a few are struggling. The people that run speedway need to think very hard in the close season as to wear speedway goes, because as we are now we are going down a very slippery road.

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11 minutes ago, marko said:

In that case then we are probably knackered, but if you had told me back in the mid 90s speedway would still be going at the stadium in 2018 I would have been amazed so really I’m just glad it lasted as long as it did,  no one ever really expected the place to remain untouched for ever.

Not when you consider the tracks location, it is prime real estate. Hopefully the promoters can squeeze another year out of the old place before it goes.

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