Campaigners say an offer has been made to save Brandon
AN OFFER has been made to buy the dilapidated Brandon Stadium and return it to sporting use, according to a group campaigning to save the venue.
A “credible individual” is said to have the commitment and financial clout to bring speedway and stock car racing back to the deteriorating motorsports arena.
The potential purchaser has been interested for several years and made a formal offer in May 2020, according to Save Coventry Speedway and STOX.
The group claimed that the site’s owners, Brandon Estates Ltd, which it says belongs to an umbrella group called Investin PLC, has yet to respond to the proposal to restore motorsport at one of Coventry’s most iconic sporting venues.
However, the owners poured cold water on the plans by saying that a return to motorsports would not be “financially viable” or “deemed acceptable in planning terms”.
They added the company is taking the feedback of the community and Rugby Borough Council onboard in its plans for the site - which they say they hope to present “shortly.
On its website, the group said: “At this stage, the offer has been neither accepted nor rejected.
“It remains to be seen whether there is any preparedness on the part of Investin to enter negotiations.”
The group did not name the individual concerned but gave an outline of his interest and financial backing.
The report said: “The interested party is an extremely credible individual. He is the Managing Director of a well-established family business with an annual turnover in excess of £50m, and has a particular interest in motorsports.
“He first showed an interest in acquiring the stadium shortly after January 2017 when it was closed by current owners Investin plc (Brandon Estates), and is undaunted by the current condition of the venue.
“The offer, of which Rugby Council are aware, was formally submitted in May 2020 following a site visit in which he saw first-hand the deterioration which has taken place since the stadium last changed hands.”
The group held up the offer, apparently after an authorised site visit, as proof that there is a solid plan to return the former home of the “world famous” Coventry Bees speedway team to its former glory.
The report reads: “With the resources and enthusiasm of the individual making the offer, and the goodwill of thousands of people and businesses, many of whom have offered their skills, materials and expertise to help rebuild the stadium, the prospect of the two sports returning to Brandon is a very real one.”
The venue has been hit by fires and vandalism and would need significant reinvestment to be returned to use as a spectator venue. Longstanding safety fears re-emerged last week when pictures surfaced show