It was truly a momentous achievement in getting the planning application for the Showground development of 650 houses on the site where the Speedway track and Grandstand sits, rejected yesterday, October 15th 2024, by the Planning Committee.

Seven blokes who got together a year ago forming a consortium with the aim of preserving Speedway in Peterborough, are still processing this, some with very sore heads this morning.

We must give thanks to our incredible supporters who turned up for the meeting on a cold and wet miserable working day afternoon, it was truly humbling to see your support. We also give our sincere thanks to Cllr Stevenson and Cllr Day for their support, we are very lucky to have them in our corner.

The application was rejected because it was felt that another 650 houses made the whole development too big as 850 houses were approved (subject to 40 conditions being satisfied by April 15th 2025 otherwise it gets rejected), earlier in the day. The 650 application was also rejected because the application failed to comply with The National Planning Policy Framework paragraph 103 and the Peterborough Local Plan Policies LP30 and LP36, these are the policies that offer protection to our club.

What happens next? The team will get together later this week to discuss. However, we must stress as we said at the hearing, our door remains open to have dialogue with the land promoter, as it always has been. There are solutions available to his development issues. We can help.

The Chairman of the Planning Committee, Cllr Harper is quoted as saying: “Need to come up with an alternative provision for Speedway that is equal or better”

For our supporters, this is rightly a time for celebration, and celebrate you must, but we must do that with the knowledge that we have only won a major battle, we haven’t won the war. We still have our track sitting heartbreakingly destroyed, we still do not have our team to follow.

Keep the faith!