Hope for speedway in Peterborough as powerful Sport England body raise objections to Showground plans and a consortium is negotiating to buy Panthers

It’s a major boost to a local consortium, who we can now reveal, are in deep negotiations with current owner Keith Chapman to buy the club.

Chapman oversaw his final meetings of his five years in charge of the city club when he staged Saturday night’s blockbuster ‘Farewell to the Showground’ meeting in front of a packed-out East of England Arena.

Sport England’s intervention has breathed fresh impetus into the consortium who are desperate to buy the speedway rights from Chapman and revive hopes – as slim as they might be – that the bikes could still be seen in action at the Alwalton circuit next year.

Sport England is an independent body whose board members are appointed by the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

They are consulted on all planning matters involving sport and have already lodged their opposition to the current plans submitted by Asset Earning Power Group (UK) Limited (AEPG) for the re-development of the 165-acre Showground site.

They want to demolish the main 2,000 seat grandstand as part of their £50 million project to build a total of 1,500 homes on the East of England Agricultural Society owned Showground which was first opened in 1966 and has been a venue for speedway since 1970.

Speedway is now the sole remaining entertainment at the Showground after the traditional three-day East of England Show was canned after a weather-ravaged 2012 event.

Other major shows like Peterborough Truckfest, which regularly pulled in around 90,000 visitors over two days, were given notice to quit also and has now moved to the Lincolnshire Showground.

The Festival of Motorcycling, a mecca for two-wheel enthusiasts, began life as the BMF Show and the final event in 2022 attracted more nearly 21,000 paying customers in May last year,

Peterborough City Council invited comments on the two planning applications from AEPG, the first to demolish all buildings on the Showground and to erect up to 650 dwellings.

The second application is to build a further 850 homes, a 250-bed hotel, a primary school, and a leisure village.

In a lengthy, detailed submission, Sport England’s Stuart Morgans (Principal Planning Manager, North Team) writes about the Panthers: “We are concerned about the loss of the speedway track and associated facilities (car parking etc) which is the home of Peterborough Panthers speedway team. We do not support this element of the application.”

“Sport England notes that the Council’s adopted development plan policy LP36 states that the loss of any existing leisure and sports facilities will not be supported unless replacement facilities are provided in according with policy LP30.

“The applicant has not addressed the loss of the existing sports facility in their supporting information. As such, there would seem to be insufficient information provided to assess the loss of the existing sports facility in accordance with the relevant policies.

“Although Sport England is not in a position to provide a detailed response on the loss of the speedway venue on this occasion, you may wish to consider advice provided by the recognised sport National Governing Bodies (NGBs).

“The relevant NGBs may be able to provide advice on specific matters such the impact of the development proposal on the current facility. In the case of speedway, the recognised National Governing Body is the Speedway Control Bureau. We would recommend the Local Planning Authority consult the Speedway Control Bureau.

“We also understand that they have already made representation on this application objecting to the loss of the speedway facility.”

In their summing up, Sport England say: “In respect of the loss of the area used for speedway, the loss of this facility does not seem to have been addressed in accordance with relevant planning policies.”

And in their conclusion, Mr Morgans confirms: “Sport England wishes to object to this application.”

There has also been a formal objection from the British Horse Society who note ‘at no point in the documents submitted is there anywhere provision for inclusion of horse riding or equestrian users by way of inclusion of bridleway or restricted byway giving access to and connectivity with the existing public right of way network.

“This is ironic considering the heritage and previous uses of this particular agricultural site.

“The equestrian industry (excluding the racing industry) in Cambridgeshire, which includes Peterborough, contributes over £100 million to the rural economy pa.

“Nationally, the equestrian industry is the second largest rural employer. Peterborough has a vibrant equestrian community. This industry relies on a suitably surfaced, safe rights of way network.”