A final chance to bring speedway back to Swindon - or at least nearby
The public are invited to give their views on a proposed new motorsports hub, and the more of us take up the offer the better
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A tradition dating back more than seven decades hangs in the balance
This week saw an organisation called Swindon Motorsports Ltd launch a public consultation on its plans to build what it terms a motorsports hub, including provision for speedway, on land at Studley Grange near Junction 16 of the M4. With speedway at Abbey Stadium now a thing of the past, and irrespective of what we feel about that sad state of affairs, it is a consultation in which everybody who cares even a little about the sport in the town should make their voice heard.
By Barrie Hudson
Will speedway ever again have a home in Swindon?
As with so many questions relating to the future of the town, there is such a plethora of variables that anybody who claims to have a definitive answer is either very brave or very foolish.
The 2019 speedway season was the last in which the highly successful Swindon Robins, formed no less than seven decades earlier, competed at Abbey Stadium.
These days there is still racing there, but on four legs rather than two wheels, and the venue is now shown on maps as Swindon Greyhounds Stadium.
Readers with longish memories may recall a flurry of optimistic local news stories during the latter part of the 2010s, with assurances of the stadium being extensively revamped and made fit for a bright future - complete with a new housing development.
Those optimistic stories were gradually superseded by grimmer tales of planning wrangles, economic woes affecting the sport, development regulations and various other factors. The covid pandemic hardly helped matters, of course.
Today there are new houses but no speedway - a situation about which people can form their own opinions, assuming they have not done so already.
It was in September of 2022 that the official announcement was made of speedway never returning to the stadium, and the news was understandably greeted with widespread horror.
A couple of months later a new organisation called Swindon Motorsports Ltd, a joint venture partnership between Swindon Speedway and site owners Gaming International, made its presence known and assured the public that its mission was to locate, acquire and obtain planning permission to operate a new motorsports arena to accommodate speedway and car racing, with an expandable capacity of up to 5,000 spectators.
There were occasional updates during 2023 but it wasn't until last August that anything resembling real progress was announced.
That was when Swindon Motorsports revealed it had selected a proposed site at Studley Grange, near Junction 16 of the M4, a 15-minute drive from Swindon. The site is within the administrative boundaries of Wiltshire Council, meaning that council is the one which will examine any planning application or related material.
At the time, Swindon Borough Council Leader Cllr Jim Robbins, whose administration had taken control of the borough a little over a year earlier, said: "We had always hoped that Gaming International would be able to secure a commercially viable speedway facility at its spiritual home of the Abbey Stadium. It was what the speedway fans wanted, and it was what we wanted as elected representatives.
“However, as a council we cannot force a commercial operator like Gaming International to continue running speedway on private land, if they deem it to be unsustainable."
Many speedway fans, not to mention people who simply care about tradition and heritage, shared his frustration and still do.
The most recent development in the saga came earlier this week, when Swindon Motorsports Ltd launched a consultation on the planned new Studley Grange Motorsports Hub.
The organisation says the proposals will deliver a new modern multi-use facility for a wide range of commercial, business and leisure use and provide a sustainable long-term future for speedway racing in Swindon.
Terry Russell, Chairman of Swindon Motorsports and Swindon Speedway, said: “After many months of hard work to get us to this stage, I am delighted that we are now going public with our plans for The Studley Grange Motorsports Hub.
“This represents the best and most realistic opportunity to bring speedway back to Swindon, and I encourage all speedway supporters to engage with the consultation and submit your thoughts on our plans.
"As the promoter of Speedway Racing in Swindon for over 20 years, I am keen to involve as many Robins supporters as possible and hoping for your support of this planning application.
“I am excited for the future and truly believe that we are on the cusp of securing a long-term viable future for speedway and motorsports in Swindon. If you are interested in motorsport and speedway racing, please visit the Swindon Motorsports website at https://swindonmotorsports.co.uk.”
The motorsports hub, we are promised, will include:
- A speedway track and associated infrastructure to host speedway racing and training, to serve as the home of the Swindon Robins
- A racing specification karting circuit for recreational and competitive use
- A multi-use events arena with an expandable capacity of up to 3,000
- Facilities for refreshment and recreation, including themed retail and food/beverage outlet
- A small complex of business units arranged around a landscaped courtyard providing office, meeting and workshop space, aimed at start-up motorsport related enterprises.
- The restoration and reuse of a Grade II listed farm building
- Landscaped car parking including EV charging points
The Studley Grange site, the organisation says, presents an opportunity to significantly expand Swindon’s motorsports offering with the creation of a multi-use site and an increase in the range and regularity of motorsports events and activities.
Public consultation on the draft proposals has now commenced. The consultation runs until Sunday 23 February.
An in-person exhibition event will take place on Saturday 15 February from noon to 6pm at the Royal Wootton Bassett Memorial Hall, Station Road, Royal Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire, SN4 8EN.
For those unable to attend the exhibition event, the full suite of consultation materials will be available on the project website at https://swindonmotorsports.co.uk/, alongside details on how people can have their say.
The deadline to submit feedback is 11.59pm on Sunday 23 February; comments received after this time may not be considered.
Following the end of consultation, the organisation will consider the feedback received and produce a consultation report which responds to the key issues raised. This document will be submitted alongside the planning application.
To engage with the consultation, review the consultation materials and submit feedback, people can visit the Swindon Motorsports website or contact the project team at consultation@thirty47.co.uk.
Immediately after the consultation was announced, The Ink asked for clarification from Swindon Motorsports Ltd as to why the relocation was necessary.
We reproduce the response verbatim:
"The Abbey Stadium is now completely surrounded by residential development and the environmental impact on neighbouring properties, such as noise and air pollution, take precedence over speedway racing. This is recognised in the planning restrictions at the Abbey Stadium which severely limit the number of days for motorsports operation and impose strict noise restrictions rendering the site financially unviable for speedway promotion. Greyhound racing, the financial underpin and enabler of speedway racing promotion is under severe financial pressure and with growing concerns related to welfare has a very uncertain future.
"The Abbey Stadium last hosted speedway racing in October 2019.
"The overall financial status of speedway racing in the UK is under increasing pressure, with eight speedway teams going into administration as a result of shifting financial and supporter dynamics since 2016.
"Recent analysis conducted by sports consultants Knight, Kavanagh and Page (KKP) outlined that the nation-wide decline in speedway operations has been caused by unsustainable revenue streams owing to declining audiences and fewer broadcasting deals. KPP concluded that speedway as a sport operating in isolation is therefore no longer commercially viable.
"Despite numerous discussions with many potential partners, investors and politicians, it has not been possible to find a viable and sustainable way of operating motorsport at the Abbey Stadium.
"The Studley Grange site presents an opportunity to significantly expand the region’s leisure and motorsports offering with the creation of a multi-use site and an increase in the range and regularity of motorsports events and activities.
"The site is located in an area with few residential properties meaning there are no insurmountable operational constraints related to noise and air pollution.
"Swindon Motorsports has secured the land on a 99-year lease, providing a long-term future for Swindon Speedway."
Will there eventually be a positive outcome to this process? As we have already noted, there can be no definitive answers at this stage.
There is, however, one thing of which we can all be sure.
Whatever one's thoughts about speedway never returning to its old Swindon home, and about who may or may not have been at fault for the circumstances which brought us to the current state of affairs, it is imperative that everybody with so much as a scintilla of interest or concern about the future of speedway - and indeed motorsport as a whole - in Swindon, takes part in the consultation exercise.
When Swindon Borough Council Leader Cllr Robbins was asked by The Ink earlier this week to give a response to the announcement of that exercise, he began by reiterating his earlier thoughts but added: "We would encourage anyone with an interest in speedway to take part in Swindon Motorsports’ consultation. In the meantime, we await with interest to see if the Studley Grange development is delivered.”
We can only echo both of those sentiments.
The Ink News Briefing
Man arrested on suspicion of murder after death of woman in Toothill
Swindon Police have arrested a man on suspicion of murder.
Officers responded to reports of a sudden death in Toothill in the early hours of Wednesday 29 January.
A force spokesperson said that at about 12.40am a woman was found dead at a property in Cowdrey Close.
A man who was at the address was arrested on suspicion of murder and remained in custody for questioning as of that evening.
Officers placed a cordon at the address while they investigated.
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The Swindon Link Magazine Archive
Over on The Ink’s sister publication Swindon Link’s website you will find an impressive archive of the past 45 years of Swindon Link magazines, giving you a huge glimpse into the town’s recent past from the beginnings of West Swindon to now. You can find the archive here.
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