12/06/07 - Speedway Development - Public Forum

The public forum organised by Cllr Justin Tomlinson was held today at the Abbey Stadium 4pm - 8pm.

The public forum was an opportunity for local residents to view the proposed plans for the Abbey Stadium and the adjacent land.  On hand were the developers and Abbey Meads Cllr's Justin Tomlinson & Peter Stoddart to listen to views of local residents.

The key issues raised included:

• The majority of local residents were in favour of the new stadium design
• The majority of local residents were in favour of changing the land use from light industrial to residential
• There were concerns at the density of the development
• There were concerns about the impact of the additional traffic on Saltzgitter Drive
• There were concerns about the lack of parking set aside for the stadium
• There were concerns about the impact the additional housing would have on the existing local schools
• There were concerns regarding the proposed youth facility and whether this would attract additional anti-social behaviour problems

Cllr Justin Tomlinson, "I was determined local residents would have an opportunity to view these plans.  On the whole the reaction was positive, in particular that they included a speedway provision.  However there are clearly a number of concerns for local residents which I have passed onto the relevant officers at the Council."