East of England Showground: Venue's future could be settled at appeals meeting today

The future of the East of England Showground could be resolved once and for all today (January 13) when councillors meet to decide the merits of a 650 homes development plan.

The 13 members of Peterborough City Council’s appeals and planning review committee will judge if a decision made four months ago by their colleagues on the planning committee to refuse approval for the homes plans was the right one.

The proposals for the 650 homes, which will be built partly on the site of the former speedway race track, have prompted hundreds of objections - many from nearby residents and others from speedway fans.

But the appeals and planning review committee was called on to make a final decision by four members of the 65 member council who used the local authority’s procedures to ‘call-in’ the decision for review.

It is a move that has sparked an angry reaction from the area's representatives on the council.

Councillor Julie Stevenson and Cllr Nicola Day have delivered hundreds of leaflets to households in their wards urging residents to attend today’s meeting.

They state: “We don’t think it’s okay that councillors who do not represent our area are trying to overturn the planning committee’s decision.”

However, the review committee is being advised by council officers to approve the 650 homes.

Members are told in a report to be presented to the meeting that while the 650 homes plans are ‘not in accordance’ with some sections of the council’s Local Plan policies due to the loss of the Showground, including the speedway track, there are considerations which weigh in favour of the proposal.

These include plans to deal with highway issues, a significant contribution to meeting housing need as well as the fact that there are ‘limited future prospects’ for the traditional use of the Showground and speedway

Who has submitted the plans and why?

The outline planning application for the 650 homes was submitted by AEPG (Assets Earning Power Group) which is the land promoter chosen by the Showground owner, the East of England Agricultural Society, which says it no longer needs the 165 acre East of England Showground.

The majority of the planning committee said the 650 homes had been refused approval because they felt the application involved too many houses and that the loss of the Showground and speedway was too much especially with nothing in the plans to replace them.

However, the 650 homes are just one part of a much larger vision for the Showground that was first unveiled by AEPG in September 2021.

The vision also included the construction of 850 homes plus a £50 million leisure village, hotel, school and care village on land adjoining the 650 homes site, and which formed a separate and second outline planning application.

And this second application was approved by the same planning committee in October.

The whole development is expected to create up to 1,000 jobs on the site and in the wider area and effectively pump about £1 million a year into the city economy.

Why is the Showground being sold?

For about five decades the East of England Showground has been a popular and regular leisure destination for thousands of local people and others from further afield.

Over the years it has staged many major public events, many of which had become firm favourites, such as the annual Truckfest, Antiques Festivals, Festival of Motorcycling, the National Caravan and Motorhomes show, Fireworks Fiesta, music concerts and the annual agricultural show as well as elite speedway racing and an array of exhibitions and conferences.

But it seems that times have changed and the agricultural society says that the public events make a loss and its own aims have changed.

It also says that over the last 10 years many of the open air events staged at the East of England Showground have failed to cover their costs and make a profit.

And they say it is not possible to carry on running the Showground as an events venue which was only being supported to some degree by earnings from investments and land sales.

In a letter to the council, the Society states its Showground operations failed to make a profit – income minus expenses – in any year from 2010. The worst year was 2013 when its expenses exceeded its income by £1,005,000.

It also shows that in most years even with income from investments and land sales, the Society figures at the end of the year were in the red.

Agricultural Society bosses say selling the Showground will leave the Society to focus on its charitable aims of promoting agriculture, education, and rural life.

Councillors on the Appeals and Planning Review Committee:

Councillor Alison Jones, Chair (Labour)

Councillor Gavin Elsey (Peterborough First)

Councillor Irene Walsh (Conservative)

Councillor John Howard (Peterborough First)

Councillor Lynne Ayres (Conservative)

Councillor Mohammed Jamil, Vice Chair (Labour)

Councillor Nicola Jenkins (Labour)

Councillor Peter Hiller (Peterborough First)

Councillor Qaiser Farid (Green Party)

Councillor Sandra Bond (Liberal Democrats)

Councillor Simon Barkham (Independent)

Where will the meeting take place?

The Appeals and Planning Review Committee will meet at the Engine Shed, Sand Martin House, Bittern Way, Peterborough.

The meeting will begin at 1.30pm.