Peterborough: The greyhound stadium facing demolition

In its heyday, the greyhound track in Peterborough attracted racegoers in their thousands. But the venue closed its doors in May 2020 because of the pandemic and is now set to be bulldozed. What is the latest on the plans?

If approved by city councillors, Peterborough's greyhound stadium could be flattened by the end of the summer.

The track recently changed hands after Fengate Land Holdings Limited (FLHL) bought the site from the Perkins family, who had owned it since 1945.

FLHL has now put forward plans for the stadium to become an employment hub.

The site is currently used informally by local businesses for storage, but the building would be demolished and replaced with a number of commercial units under new proposals.

Andy Girvan, who works for Campbell Buchanan George on behalf of FLHL, said he remembered visiting the track as a youngster.

"It was quite daunting hearing all of the noise as a child. But I'm delighted to be able to regenerate this place," he said.

He hoped it would be a "fully occupied and a vibrant new business hub" creating up to 250 jobs.

"At the moment this is contributing nothing to the area or the local economy, but this will bring those benefits," said Mr Girvan.

FLHL has said their plans could boost the local economy by £11m each year.

The Perkins family had to give a statement to Peterborough City Council to confirm the track was no longer viable for racing.

It said: "The industry has experienced over recent years a shortage of greyhounds which has led to a decline in the number of trainers wishing to race at the stadium.

"The increased popularity of online betting saw a decline in the number of spectators visiting the venue."

The application to demolish the site is yet to go before the council.

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk