 Gillespie wants more permanent buildings at Cheltenham racecourse |
The managing director of Cheltenham racecourse has admitted the track is behind plans for the town's football club to move to Prestbury Park. Edward Gillespie wants more permanent stands on the site to replace the tented hospitality village used at the annual National Hunt Festival. The second day of the 2008 festival was lost as high winds damaged the tents. "We want to move away from relying on temporary facilities long term," Gillespie told BBC Gloucestershire. Cheltenham racecourse is situated on greenbelt land and is restricted in its number of permanent buildings. To entertain up to 70,000 racegoers a day at the festival, around half of the people are situated in tented structures.  | The football club itself is reluctant to move, they're happy where they are |
These have previously been constructed to be able to withstand winds of up to 42 miles per hour, but for 2009 the tents will be more robust. However, Gillespie hopes that by reminding authorities of the importance of the festival, planning permission will eventually be granted for future permanent development. "We're having discussions with the borough council, they understand fully that the racecourse drives part of the local economy - not just for tourism, but for business tourism," he said. The option of Cheltenham Town moving to the racecourse and sharing a double-sided grandstand, might encourage the council to grant permission to build on greenbelt land because the council owns the Whaddon Road site where the football club has a long-term lease. However, the need to increase permanent capacity at the racecourse is Gillespie's priority, with partnerships being just a possible aid to the master plan. | 606: DEBATE |
"It may not be a football ground - which is one of the plans we've discussed - the football club itself is reluctant to move, they're happy where they are," he said. "Currently it certainly wouldn't be demand-led by the football club because they're not filling their existing ground, apart from two or three games a year maybe." Cheltenham Town chairman Paul Baker has previously refused to rule out the possibility of the move, even though the club has so far been cool on the proposal. "Clearly it's not something we're going to close our mind to and it's something we would want to look at because the prospect of a brand new stadium is exciting, so it's not something I'd rule out," said Baker.
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