New homes plan for Bees stadium
THE first image showing plans for housing on the former Brandon Stadium home of Coventry Bees speedway team has been released.
Brandon Estates, the firm which owns the Coventry Stadium land, is set to hold a public exhibition of the plans tomorrow at Brandon Hall Hotel.
Ahead of the exhibition, which will run from 3pm to 8pm, an artist’s impression of the proposals for 137 homes on the site has been released, along with further details of exactly what the owners want to build on the site.
Brandon Estates will face a battle to gain planning permission for the site as the location is not included in the council’s “local plan” as a possible location for housing. The plan outlines how the borough plans to grow between now and 2031.
Mick Horton, the owner of Coventry Bees, recently told the Telegraph that there was no hope of Bees returning to the site and that the team was looking at creating a new stadium elsewhere in Rugby borough.
But campaigners have said the option should not be completely ruled out and have repeatedly lambasted those involved for creating a situation which has led to the Bees being homeless and dropping out of the Elite League for this season.
What the plans say:
Previous suggestions that up to 250 homes could be built on the land have been scaled back, with the latest proposals outlining the desire to build 137.
The developers say this would cover 40 per cent of the site, “leaving the remaining site undeveloped, with over six hectares as public open space and a 920 square metre play area”.
They add: “The proposed development will include a mix of dwelling sizes, including homes suitable for families and the elderly.
“There will be overall improvements to green infrastructure on the site with opportunities for the creation of ponds and areas of wildflower meadows against a backdrop of woodland planting.
“This will provide an overall improvement to biodiversity across the site. A network of new public footpaths will increase public accessibility to this new green infrastructure.
“The scheme will also make financial contributions to the council towards education, public transport, libraries, and leisure facilities.”
Exhibition:
The exhibition at Brandon Hall Hotel will allow the public to ask questions about the nature of the development.
A spokesperson for Brandon Estates said: “The proposed development will bring many local benefits, including over 50 new affordable homes for local residents in housing need and significant formal open space to benefit both current and new residents.
“We have scaled back the size of the development to take into account local concerns and are looking forward to discussing the proposals at the public exhibition.”
The site:
Travellers have entered the site twice in recent months as it remains unused following a dispute between the current owners and former owner Avtar Sandhu over fixtures and fittings which were removed, leaving the stadium unusable for speedway.
The land has become unsightly with waste building up, prompting Rugby Borough Council to order the owners to clear up the site.
Brandon Estates has since overseen the creation of earth piles at the entrances in a bid to prevent further incursions on to the land.
The history:
A long running battle between the former owner of the Coventry Bees speedway team, Avtar Sandhu, and Brandon Estates has led to the current situation.
Current Bees owner Mick Horton was hoping to run speedway at the stadium and, having secured a deal with Brandon Estates, needed a deal with Mr Sandhu’s Coventry Racing Club for stock car racing there. Meanwhile Mr Sandhu removed fixtures and fittings from the stadium.
Initially Brandon Estates claimed it could cost up to £1 million to restore the stadium to an operational state, though the figures quoted have been contested, and reported the removal of the fixtures and fittings to Warwickshire Police.
Meanwhile Mr Sandhu said he was happy to return the fixtures and fittings that had been removed but was unable to enter the stadium in January as Brandon Estates had reported their removal to the police.
The matter was dropped by the police but no settlement was agreed and a stalemate ensued.
The condition of the stadium meant the Bees’ licence to race was effectively put on ice earlier this year and the team was unable to compete in speedway’s elite league this season.