Protesters battling to stop the Cradley Heathens speedway team building a new stadium on their doorsteps say land earmarked for the site is a haven for wildlife.
The legendary side – dubbed the Manchester United of speedway after a trophy-laden spell in the 1980s and early 1990s – are closer than ever to a return after 12 years off the track.
Their old Dudley Wood home was sold for housing in 1995, and the club folded a year later. But a planning application has been submitted to build a new track on green belt land off Oldnall Road in Wollescote, behind the Powerleague complex and old Halesowen Harriers stadium. The bid is backed by a petition of nearly 10,000 names.
But it has been met with opposition with residents living near the beauty spot, which they say is a thriving wildlife habitat and of archaeological importance.
Gary Coley, of Drummond Road, said: “The field is of great archaeological importance. There have been finds on this site from as far back as the Iron Age, and to desecrate this site would be criminal to say the least. The field supports a large amount of wildlife – badgers, foxes, rabbits, pheasants and all sorts of birds, including birds of prey.
“The local community use it for exercising or walking the dog.
“I am all for speedway returning to the area, but this is totally the wrong site for so many reasons.”
Resident Michael Hankin is a leading campaigners behind the bid to block speedway moving onto the site. He said: “The borough’s most eminent archaeologists, historians and planners have stopped previous developments on here. The land has yielded more than 1,000 Mesolithic flints.
“It is home to scores of species as well as bats, wild birds and flowers.
“We have to protect it, and we have to stop this development.”
17 Comments
Noise, pollution, traffic congestion, adding to global warming etc. will trump wild life habitat any time.
“thriving wildlife habitat and of archaeological importance”… not in the 35 years I’ve lived, played and walked there!! Unless you count the odd dumped car and archaeological evidence of countless romantic encounters.
the application has not even been validated (booked in) yet & already there’s all this negative press but we will not give up without a fight…’ommer em Cradley!!!!
Bring back Cradley Speedway!!!! Only cuz we want to beat um again!! Up the WOLVES
I know the area well. The interest in wildlife and archaeology is neglible, this is pure nimbyism.
LOL Here come the pro-speedway lot again with their tales of war torn Cradley.
Burnt out cars, condoms, all I see is a green field and every couple of years a field full of Barley.
I have no objection to you having your track but this picture you are trying to paint just isn’t working and indeed it isnt doing you any good.
There is still not one comment from you about the fact that there is no lease and according to the article elswhere no heads of terms on a lease.
At least the anti-speedway lot or the Nimbys as you call them, have focused on the land, the ecology, the fact that it is an accident blackspot all you seem to be capable off doing is talking about the odd quad bike, and burnt out cars all of which occur once in a blue moon.
the speedway is not even worth considering
Its only a so called accident blackspot because stupid people who cannot drive see a sign for 70mph and drive like lunatics, i see no other reason why anyone driving sensibly on that road should have an accident!
To not now Cato:
no one said burnt out cars or condoms, we are not that crude. Obviously you did not grow up in the area otherwise you would be more aware of the goings on. Also Nimby stands for Not In My Back Yard, which I think sums it up quite eloquently. I am not a speedway fan but get fed up with people choking anything new in the area I am proud to call home. This would inject an air of excitement to an area which is pretty much devoid of entertainment, unless you count walking round some fields swigging cider……
I know what NIMBY stands for and I also know the area.
I’ve never walked around the fields swigging cider so I’ll take your word for it that its exciting.
I have seen people walking in Halesowen Town Centre, Pedmore, Stourbridge and many other places that are also unsuitable for a speedway track drinking alcohol from a can and so I don’t see what this has to do with the issue.
With regard to the excitement of speedway most of the locals don’t share your enthusiasm and so I also don’t see your point with this either.
Chris A (Cradleyfan) Its common sense that you don’t create a situation where thousands of cars Will be routed down a road that is not suitable for the volume and that on average has one accident per week.
Yes another one Last Wednesday to add to the three in the previous two two weeks, but I suppose as well as being war torn alcohol and sex crazed we now have an Autobahn in Oldnall, where every driver speeds without limit and crashes.
Why on earth would you want to put a speedway track in such a poor area, why not upgrade and put it in Baghdad. LOL
Your attempts to make this area seem like the worst place on earth are laughable, Its a green field in the green belt.
IT seems strange that on a road that has 52 accidents per year there is still a sign indicating the national speed limit! I drive on that road 3/4 times a week and once again the thing that must cause these accidents is excess speed. On racenights there would be traffic management(ie, police/wardens) guiding traffic safely in/out of the area.
our attempts to explain and reason with the anti speedway campaigners seems pointless. The more people try and tell you that speedway is a great family sport and that the speedway club is leaving no stone unturned in an effort to cause as little as possible disruption to local residents, the more people refuse to accept that we are trying!
My name is chris a(not cradley fan) altough i do support there return just like thousands of others! I wont be replying to any further posts as its just a total waste of time, many thanks.chris a
Hear hear Chris!! It would appear that the Heathens reasoned arguments are being answered by people who have moved into the area and understand nothing of the local heritage and pride. They also seem to widely miss the point of anyone who may dare to have a different opinion to that of there own, and apparently regard anyone who was born and raised here as an alcoholic sex fiend who likes burning out cars. There has never been any argument that the site is a field, just a reasoned point that stated the area could be used more productively and give local residents a fun lively place to spend some leisure time, and maybe trading on past glories would put a little sparkle back into some pretty bleak times. I for one have never attended a speedway meeting, but having driven past wolves on race nights I think that “thousands of cars” could well be a little optimistic, and smacks of yet more ill informed knee jerking. I will however become a staunch supporter of the Heathens if and when they do reform, mainly to enjoy an evening out with my family some friends on a regular basis,in order to support my local economy (and God knows we could do with it) but also just a little bit out of spite for all the “indignant of Wollescote” types that will no doubt start another campaign claiming that motorbikes devalue their wonderful mansion like properties or some other drivel!! I’m Wollescote born and bred and proud of it, and also just a little bit pleased that an organisation has shown some intrest in the area… unlike some other xenophobic wannabes……….
Big Tone why not visit the new web site at http://www.no2oldnallroad.co.uk
to see why this site should not be used for the speedway, this is our local heritage somthing to have pride in
Gosh I hate reading about people who are trying to pretend they are local residents who have never attended a speedway meeting when quite clearly that is totally untrue! If someone was so called born and bred here locally and lived here all their life they would know about the fantastic history here and what other leisure activities there are all around if only they could be bothered to find out.
God forbid anyone who dares to have another opinion and not actually want the speedway at this site - all their reasoned arguments just get shot down and dismissed as untrue even if they present the facts.
And why on earth would someone want to recant on past glories for a sport they have allegedly never attended - come on lets not play in the playground. Oh and that was a retorical question.
Grief, what a load of complete tripe.
all this fuss by the locals because they are possibly going to lose a spot for there dogs to crap on….
mark - please be directed to he website already given above of what will be lost. As you will see it is more than “a spot for there (should be spelt their) dogs to crap on)!
Please, if your going to give an opinion make it an informed one. Us locals need to make people understand what we are trying to pretect and preserve. I think history dating back thousands of years is worth fighting for. You may differ of course!
mooch…(he should be the) i’m still correct that the biggest thing this land is used for is for the locals dogs to crap on and my opinion is based on fact not over exaggerated things that are on the above mentioned website…thank you