Go for it 'Browny'

[colin1]

I just want to say a heartfelt thanks to you Chris and ALL concerned with this battle to save the Cheetahs.
I do not envy your task tomorrow night in the slightest Chris, but I think it would be safe to say that you will have the full support of all Cheetahs fans with you. I am certain you will put forward 'our' cause in an honest and passionate way that will garner full support from the Council.
Best wishes to you all
Colin

[tmgracing]

Ditto Go for it Chris and good luck!!

[browny]

Thanks Guys. It all seemed to go OK. I was there early and managed to get 5 minutes with the Lord Mayor to talk to him one to one about the issues which can of done no harm. The text of my address is contained below and at the end there was applause from the Councillors..............so we can but hope.

What happens from here is that the petition (speech to you and me) is presented to the CHief Exec of the City Council to respond on behalf of the Council


Good afternoon ladies and gentleman and thankyou for the opportunity to address you this afternoon. Firstly can I introduce myself as Chris Brown, a member of the Save Oxford Speedway group, founded in 2000.

Oxford Speedway is due to celebrate its Diamond anniversary in 2008, entering its 60th consecutive year of speedway in the city. This should be a season of great celebration with such a magnificent milestone being reached but sadly the sport is in very grave danger of closure over the next 7 days.

We have successfully cohabited at the Oxford Stadium with other sports for many of these years and would like to think that this can continue to be the case. The club was due to race in this years Premier League, the 2nd tier of speedway in the UK but sadly the previous club owner has been unable to come to an agreement with the stadium owners, the Greyhound Racing Association about a rental deal. Oxford had to declare their intention in early December to run in this league and were unable to do so despite being given an extension in time by the authorities due to having no rental agreement. Faced with this the previous club owner declared his decision in December to not move forward with promoting speedway in Oxford. This has left the club without an owner and in grave danger of closure. It is our understanding that the rental required by the GRA was double that agreed for racing in 2007. At the end of the day the GRA are a commercial operation and entitled to run their business as they see fit and our concern at this stage is not the amount of rent they proposed to charge to run speedway. The previous owner as part of his negotiations was made aware of the GRA’s intention to seek permission to run stock cars at the Stadium.

From this point the fight has been to find a new owner, this can only be done provided a deal could still be reached with the stadium owners. The head of the sport in the UK, Peter Toogood, the Chairman of the British Speedway Promoters Association has since early December been attempting to contact the head of the GRA to discuss the future of speedway in the city. To date the GRA have been unwilling to speak to anyone regarding the current situation. Many people have attempted to make contact with the GRA including myself, local Press and Media, Andrew Smith MP, Councillor Timbs and despite continual attempts, no responses have been forthcoming to requests for a telephone conversation or meeting. This situation means that the sport has no way of moving forward. The current situation leads us to believe that the GRA have no desire to see speedway continue in Oxford. If this were to be the case we are concerned about their future intentions for the stadium use. We are continuing to make daily calls to contact the Managing Director of the GRA and will continue to do so

In order to be granted entry to the Conference League, the last remaining option for the club we are told by the sports governing body that we need to have made an agreement by 24th January, the day the league’s heads meet for their annual meeting

The silence from the owners is leaving us in an impossible position where we feel the need to understand what the possible alternative options the stadium owners have for the stadium should they not want speedway.

We see two possible options, one would be to replace speedway with stock cars. There is little doubt that this will mean that we have seen the last of speedway in Oxford, as in a small stadium such as Oxford, it would not be possible for the two sports to run side by side. Speedway generates noise for the residents but over many years we have ensured that noise is contained within agreed levels and we ensure meetings are completed within the agreed completion time. Stock cars has previously run in Oxford in the 1970’s but we believe that the noise nuisance from running stock cars in Oxford would be far in excess of what is acceptable to local residents. In addition to this the logistics of moving large vehicles in the area will be extremely disruptive for the local residents.

Another potential option may be to redevelop the site for another use. It is my understanding that a covenant exists from the mid 1970’s, placed by the City Council protecting the site from development into anything other than a Leisure facility. We would be keen to see this covenant remain in force and leave the GRA in a position where they have limited options to otherwise use the speedway circuit.

So what are we asking the City Council to do? We would wish the council officers to support the campaign to protect speedway in Oxford. This can be done by having a clear policy that ensures that Oxford Stadium cannot be redeveloped for alternative use and to oppose any plan to see stock cars replace speedway at Oxford Stadium from a planning perspective.

Oxford Speedway enjoys substantial support from all ages, it is a unique sport where all fans, young or old irrespective of which team they follow can stand together in a safe, friendly environment. Our research tells us that 60% of the fans who attend the sport live within 5 miles of the stadium and therefore support from city residents is very strong.

We would ask for your support in protecting 59 years of history, a history which shows Oxford as one of the most successful clubs in the history of the sport. Oxford Speedway is a vital part of Oxford’s sporting history and must not be allowed to die.

[bryn]

Good work Browny mate!

[colin1]

Yes, well done, we await the outcome, but I reckon you did well.
colin