Plan to replace speedway stadium with homes rejected

A town's derelict speedway track has reached a "crucial moment" as plans to transform the site into housing have been rejected.

Developers wanted to build more than 100 homes on the Abbey Stadium site in Blunsdon St Andrew in Swindon, Wiltshire. It was the home to the town's Robins speedway team until 2019, and home to greyhound races, which ended at the stadium in 2025.

Councillors have now decided the loss of the structure would seriously diminish the neighbourhood. Councillor Kate Tomlinson said the decision had been "a crucial moment" for the community.

Developers said the rejected plans "would have delivered 130 much-needed new homes, alongside a community sports hub".

Developer L&G Affordable Homes and site owner Gaming International had brought two linked proposals to the council.

One would have seen the old stadium buildings demolished and 130 houses built on the land occupied by most of the racetrack and the infield.

The plan was supported by the director of the Swindon Robins speedway team, Steve Park. He said the stadium would cost far too much to bring up to standard, and using it just for speedway was not viable.

He said: "Refusing this plan will not bring speedway back to The Abbey."

But Alun Rossiter, the former speedway manager, has been campaigning alongside "hundreds of residents" who all want the grounds to remain fully as a leisure site.

"We are clear that Swindon Speedway should be given a permanent home. And we believe that this should be alongside a new sports hub which incorporates local grassroots clubs.

"We are also clear that this high-density development does not include any highways improvements, despite being on Lady Lane which is already under strain," he added.

Residents and speedway fans packed the council's meeting chamber to share concerns on Tuesday.

Tomlinson, of St Andrews Parish Council, said in a speech to the room: "This is a pivotal moment for sport in Swindon.

"For the sake of local residents, for the sake of local sports groups and for the sake of the future of Swindon Robins, I ask that the committee reject the application."

Councillors on the planning committee listed three main reasons for the refusal of the decision, a lack of parking provision, not enough guarantees that the community facilities will be built alongside the homes and that the loss of the stadium would be "irrevocable".

Responding to the news Anette Simpson, director of development and partnerships at L&G Affordable Homes, said the plans "would have delivered 130 much-needed new homes, alongside a community sports hub, a convenience shop and office space, as well as new public open space".

Clarke Osborne, chief executive of Gaming International which owns the stadium added they are considering their next steps for the future of the "important site".

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