Spot the difference
Last- ditch bid to prevent greyhound track going to the dogs – by making it listed like Buck House!
THINK of listed buildings and some grand edifices spring to mind: Buckingham Palace… the Gothic glories of York Minster, perhaps.
But now a slightly more humble creation could be about to join their lofty ranks – a rundown greyhound track made predominantly out of corrugated steel.
Even campaigners who have fought for Wimbledon Stadium to be listed admit it’s ‘not pretty’.
But if it is granted Grade I status, the rust- ridden structure, which opened in 1928, will be afforded the same protection as some of the nation’s great architectural treasures.
The stadium staged its final greyhound race last weekend and campaigners launched a last- ditch bid to save it from demolition by asking officials to give it protected status.
Peter Gray, who helped set up the Save Wimbledon Stadium Action Group, said: ‘OK, it does not compare directly to something like the Palace of Westminster but in terms of stadiums it is a Buckingham Palace.’
Over the years, the Plough Lane stadium has been home to greyhound racing, speedway and stock-car racing but attendances have dwindled dramatically in recent years.
And the stadium would be razed under redevelopment plans to create a new home for local football team AFC Wimbledon, alongside hundreds of new flats. The scheme, put forward jointly by AFC Wimbledon and the stadium’s owners, Galliard Homes, is opposed by Wimbledon Park Residents Association.
Chairman Iain Simpson said: ‘There was a lot of support for refurbishing the old stadium. If it is listed and retained, I would be happy and I think a lot of local residents would as well.’
But the delay has sparked fury among fans of AFC Wimbledon, who assumed their £20 million redevelopment of the site, including a 20,000-seat football ground and 600 flats, was a done deal when, last August, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan rubberstamped Merton Council’s decision to let the scheme go ahead.
Now, the plans have had to be put on ice while Historic Britain, formerly English Heritage, considers the listing request.
Erik Samuelson, the club’s chief executive, said: ‘We are proposing over 600 new apartments, a refurbished squash court, a creche and cafeteria which will have considerable benefits to the community, and we can’t wait to get on with it.’
A Historic England spokesman said: ‘New evidence about the stadium’s architectural and historic significance was presented and this was considered relevant enough to prepare a full assessment of the site.’
Campaigners have cause for hope. In 2013, Preston Bus Station, built in 1969, was saved from demolition when it was granted listed status, despite the city’s then council leader describing it as ‘an eyesore’.