Speedway fans’ dreams of seeing the famous Cradley Heathens return to the borough were today in tatters after plans to build a new stadium were scrapped.
The controversial proposals for green belt land in Oldnall Road, in Wollescote, have been withdrawn following discussions with Dudley Council, the Express & Star can reveal.
Among the reasons given were concerns about noise and parking restrictions that would be imposed because of the green belt status of the land.
More than 10,000 speedway fans signed a petition backing the bid, but organisers were met with fierce resistance from people living nearby, who claimed their lives would be blighted by the development.
Developer and businessman Tony Mole, who was spearheading the campaign for the stadium, today confirmed the plans had been “reluctantly” withdrawn.
“After seeking discussions with the council, a meeting clarified the full list of council stipulations which were considerably more extensive than previously indicated,” he said.
“They included the provision of a large additional payment which would have made the project uneconomical. While we still feel Oldnall Road could provide an acceptable location for speedway, this would require the full support of the council and it became clear we were very unlikely to achieve this.”
Bob Edwards, lead campaigner for the Cradley Raise Aid Saving Heathens (Crash), said today he was extremely disappointed.
“This result, and the rejection of other more suitable sites such as Dudley Zoo, Castlegate and Yorks Park, is a clear indication that it is difficult to succeed in such a venture without the co-operation and leadership of the council,” he said.
Dudley Council spokesman Katherine Finney confirmed the authority had received notice that the application had been withdrawn.
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12 Comments
Dudley is a joke when it comes to sport. No wonder the town is a laughing stock
And there you have it folks… Make way for a mosque coming through!!
On your bike (or not as the case may be!) there are laws that say you have the right to enjoy your property without nuisance this being noise, fumes etc this is why it has been turned down in the past if you want don’t put it near residential accommodation plain and simple.
Dudley Council strike again. A joke place run by joke people!
A sad (and costly) day for all speedway fans…does this mean the dream is over for good??? :o(
well done dudley council, giving sports fans in dudley a little hope and then pulling the rug from under us,was this the plan all along.no speedway ground,no football stadium and no cricket ground, in the space of 15 years all these facilities have been lost to housing and retail areas congratulations.
Cradley Heathens were known throughout the world and it is a disgrace that the council reject every bid put together. I suppose if it were another giant retail park like Merry Hill the plans would get passed.
As the saying goes “Cradley deserves Speedway, Speedway deserves Cradley” and this comes from a Wolves fan.
Dudley council hang your heads in shame no sport of any note in the borough what so ever. A word of warning to some of the residents the owners of that land are looking for maximum return on it, remember our old stadium was designated sports land until the owners decided enough was enough and decided they wanted maximum return on their land!The next planning application may be by a company with more financial backing than a speedway team and may inculde it being used more than 30 times a year and may also inculde far more disruption than 60 hours of speedway racing per year!
Dudley council hang your heads in shame! No sport of any note what so ever in the borough! A word of warning to local residents be careful what you wish for! The owners of that land are looking for a return on THEIR land! Dont forget dudley wood stadium was designated sports land until the site owners decided enough was enough and wanted maximum return on THEIR land too! The next planning application may be from someone with alot more financial clout than a speedway team and may inculde alot more disruption than 60-80 hours speedway per year!
Where did alan mac here about this mosque was it in a dream…?. Maybe he heard a conversation in a pub…?. Could he of had a psychic premonition…? No its blatantly obvious that he is just throwing his teddy out the pram and scaremongering because things didn’t go his way. I gave a report to DMBC outlining the problems on the road, people leaving the site and congregating on a 60 mph road without any street lighting also cars turning right into the site having to wait for oncoming traffic thus causing a tailback and accidents will happen its inevitable and who would pay for the lighting even? .. £300 per streetlight based on 2005 figures DMBC and the taxpayer I think not!
Re.10
What about all the tailbacks and traffic congestion that is caused by the Merry Hill Centre? That place causes more traffic problems than anywhere and yet back in the 80’s that was given the go ahead.
Wolverhampton based sports fans can enjoy live speedway, football, greyhounds and horse racing. Birmingham based sports fans have their speedway team back after a long absence, football etc. Coventry based sports fans can enjoy watching a successful speedway team, a successful ice hockey team and football team. Dudley based sports fans can…well, go to the zoo I suppose!!!