Brandon Stadium, home of Coventry Bees, 'has been sold'

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Re: Brandon Stadium, home of Coventry Bees, 'has been sold'

Postby dutchman » Sun Feb 26, 2017 7:41 pm

Coventry Bees will not race in 2017 as BSPA withdraws licence

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Coventry Bees will not be allowed to race in 2017, the British Speedway Promoters' Association has announced.

The Bees were due to ride in the Premiership, the top flight of British speedway, but have been unable to agree a deal to stay at their Brandon home.

Although an agreement was in place to stage some meetings in Leicester, the BSPA said they were not satisfied that Coventry could fulfil a full season.

"Their licence has been put on ice," said a BSPA statement.

"Due to well documented issues with their former Brandon Stadium home, the Bees only have an agreement in place to run a handful of meetings at Leicester.

"The club, therefore, are not in a position to satisfy the Association that they can fulfil a full season of league racing with no guarantee of returning to Brandon.

"In addition, there have been developments in the past 10 days where financial support for the Coventry promotion has changed, again meaning the Association are not satisfied they can fulfil a full season.

"We feel extremely sad for the Bees riders, fans and officials but we believe this decision has been made in the best interests of the sport.

"We sincerely hope circumstances can improve for Coventry during the course of this year which will enable them to return to the track in the 2018 season."

:bbc_sport_logo:


To be honest I never believed they would.
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Re: Brandon Stadium, home of Coventry Bees, 'has been sold'

Postby dutchman » Wed Mar 01, 2017 5:57 am

Coventry Bees speedway team FOR SALE after homeless club kicked out the league

Coventry Bees speedway team is for sale after owner Mick Horton said he wanted to “step aside” and would “invite offers”.

The Bees promoter issued a statement shortly after it was confirmed that the team had been kicked out of the UK speedway’s Premiership with doubt over whether they could complete the coming season.

A tenancy agreement at Brandon stadium, the club’s long term home, was never signed - and a short term deal for eight matches at Leicester was not enough to convince league bosses at the British Speedway Promoters Association (BSPA) that Bees should be allowed to race this season.

Mr Horton spoke of his shock at the exclusion by the BSPA on Sunday but pointed the finger at other parties for the situation which led the Bees becoming homeless.

He also apologised that the club’s riders had learned of the club’s fate at the same time as everyone else and admitted he should have contacted them first.

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Re: Brandon Stadium, home of Coventry Bees, 'has been sold'

Postby dutchman » Fri Mar 10, 2017 4:22 am

Coventry Bees to race against Wolverhampton as campaign organisers plan more fixtures

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A SPECIAL ‘Keep Bees On Track’ challenge series has been planned by Coventry Bees officials with the first fixture taking place at Monmore Green stadium in Wolverhampton on Monday, April 10.

Riders left jobless following Bees’ axe from the SGB Premiership will benefit from the meetings with a portion of income from each challenge meeting being distributed to Bees riders.

Bees’ fixture against Wolverhampton will take place on the date the club were due to face Wolverhampton in the Premiership.

Those behind the idea are in talks with other top-flight promoters regarding further fixtures.

Riders of the Bees are facing a substantial loss in earnings following last week’s announcement, and it is hoped each challenge fixture can assist Bees riders left jobless.

It is hoped the Coventry team at Wolverhampton will match the club’s intended 2017 line-up.

Should additional riders be required, the club’s first calls will be to riders with close Coventry links.

Wolverhampton promoter Chris Van Straaten has arranged for money collected from a dedicated ‘Coventry turnstile’ to be invested into the Coventry Riders’ Hardship fund.

Proceeds from an on-the-night collection will also be added to the Nuneaton Speedway Supporters Club collection – with a JustGiving page planned to run for the next two months.

Proceeds from the meetings and the Just Giving page will be passed on to the riders by the NSSC with the exact distribution at the Committee's discretion.

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Re: Brandon Stadium, home of Coventry Bees, 'has been sold'

Postby dutchman » Mon Jun 12, 2017 11:09 pm

Brandon Stadium homes plan revealed - and it could be backed by Coventry Bees campaigners

The Save Coventry Speedway group, a campaign group aiming to bring the Coventry Bees team back to Brandon Stadium, told the Telegraph recently it could potentially back plans to develop the site for housing in the long-term if a move to a new stadium can be secured.

Jeff Davies, one of the group’s founders, said that while it remained opposed to developing the site it accepted it may happen ultimately.

Reacting to the latest announcement Mr Davies said: “We are not surprised, we have been expecting it.

“It will be interesting to see if there is any reference on the application to a new stadium.

“Government guidelines say if a stadium is redeveloped than an alternative of at least equal standard should be included within the plan.

“We want to see a return of the sport to the Coventry area and in the short-term we believe that has got to be the existing site.

“But if they are going to build a new one we would remove our objections to developing Brandon Stadium.”

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That same idea worked out well for Coventry City didn't it? :clown:
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Re: Brandon Stadium, home of Coventry Bees, 'has been sold'

Postby dutchman » Tue Sep 05, 2017 2:41 pm

Coventry Bees speedway team will never return to Brandon, says owner

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The owner of Coventry Bees has said there is no chance that the speedway team will ever return to race at Brandon.

Mick Horton told the Telegraph focus had now shifted to creating a new home for the Bees and land had been identified for a new track, which could be built by 2019.

He added that the team would also have to drop down the leagues and secure a track sharing agreement next season, if the Bees were to survive.

Mr Horton said the Bees had been informed “indirectly” that there was no hope of a return to Brandon under land owners Brandon Estates.

He said: “Brandon is a definite no go. We are not going to be returning to Brandon, which is unfortunate.”

He added: “I was really hopeful that Brandon Estates would allow us back, even for a couple of years, but that’s not to be and we have to keep moving on.”

Mr Horton said a new track could be created in time for the team to race there in 2019.

“We are now working with Rugby Borough Council and Coventry City Council and there is a piece of land which has been identified. It’s in Rugby borough.

“But it’s early days on that. There’s a will there. Rugby council, in particular, have been very proactive.”

He added: “If this piece of land is accepted, we have a realistic chance for the 2019 season.”

Mr Horton said the Bees must race next season if the team is to survive and said a track share agreement, with the team racing at a lower level, was likely.

He told the Telegraph: “We need to get on track somewhere for 2018 or it will be lost forever.

“If we are to run in 2018, we would need to drop down the leagues because we would not be racing at a home track.

“We would need to be sensible.”

The stadium owners declined to comment when asked by the Telegraph about the situation with the stadium, whether there was any hope of motorsport returning to the site and if there was any ongoing legal action hanging over the venue.

Brandon Estates insisted in May that civil action would be taken against former stadium owner Avtar Sandhu over claims fixtures and fittings were unlawfully removed by him from the stadium before he handed over the keys to Brandon Estates. Mr Sandhu maintains he legally owns the fixtures and fittings.

But there has been no public signs of progress in relation to any civil claim.

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Coventry Bees.

Postby Jock Strapp » Sat Oct 28, 2017 12:48 pm

Don't know if forumites have noticed the controversy about Brandon Stadium. One week we are told that it will survive and the next week it will never reopen. Myself I don't give a rats ass if it does close, not even proper motorcycles race there. If you wish to see proper bike racing go to Mallory Park os Silverstone not to Brandon.
The owners of the site wish to build houses there and as the country needs 330,000 asap what better place to start building?. Of course there are plenty of NIMBYs who are protesting but one would suppose that they already have homes.
So, if I had a vote in the matter I would vote to kick the Bees out of their hive and go watch the Wasps.
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Re: Brandon Stadium, home of Coventry Bees, 'has been sold'

Postby dutchman » Sat Oct 28, 2017 3:53 pm

Not only noticed Jock we also have a long running thread on the subject. However it got tedious posting the same headlines over and over again.

[Threads now merged]
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Re: Brandon Stadium, home of Coventry Bees, 'has been sold'

Postby dutchman » Wed Jan 10, 2018 6:48 pm

Brandon Estates react to fire breakout at Coventry Stadium

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TWO fires were ignited at Coventry Stadium on Monday night, sparking safety concerns among residents of Binley Woods and fans of the Coventry Bees speedway club.

It is believed travellers – who occupied the site from Wednesday, January 3, until Tuesday, January 9 – started the blaze.

A Warwickshire fire service spokesperson told the Observer: “Two fires took place at Coventry Stadium.

“We were first called out at 10.58pm where we had two pumps in attendance. We believe this incident to be deliberate.

“Then at 3.24am we had two appliances in attendance to put out a single storey building. The fire affected 100 per cent of the building.”

We have also contacted Warwickshire Police but are yet to receive a response.

Travellers have since left the stadium’s car park.

The news came as little surprise to fans of the world-famous Coventry Bees after growing speculation the stadium could be set alight while the site remains unoccupied.

Stadium owners Brandon Estates have told the Observer efforts will be made to ensure no further fires break out on the site. But they declined to give details.

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Re: Brandon Stadium, home of Coventry Bees, 'has been sold'

Postby dutchman » Fri May 18, 2018 6:36 pm

Protections for historic Coventry Bees stadium at Brandon ordered by inspector

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PROTECTIONS which could potentially save Coventry Bees’ historic stadium in Brandon from housing development have been ordered by a government-appointed independent planning inspector.

In encouraging words for the Save Our Bees campaign, inspector Mike Hayden has dedicated a section on the Coventry Stadium site in his initial findings on his crucial examination of Rugby Borough Council’s ‘Local Plan’.

The Local Plan will decide where land is allocated over the next two decades for housing, employment, leisure and other uses.

Mr Hayden, in a letter to the council, outlines more “main modifications” he deems necessary to the draft Local Plan, following public hearings earlier this year.

As well as extra protection for Coventry Stadium for sports use, he recommends removing housing proposals at the Lodge Farm, Brinklow and Coton House, to be replaced with additional housing at Long Lawford and Binley Woods.

The modifications will now be included in a public consultation.

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Re: Brandon Stadium, home of Coventry Bees, 'has been sold'

Postby rebbonk » Fri May 18, 2018 7:29 pm

Somehow, I can't see the Bees riding there again.
Of course it'll fit; you just need a bigger hammer.
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