Battey in offer to find land for Wildcats (From Dorset Echo)
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Battey in offer to find land for Wildcats
8:41am Thursday 8th December 2011 in Speedway By Adam Summers
CLOSED DOWN: The Wessex Raceway
ERNIE Battey has promised to tip off the Weymouth Wildcats if any suitable land becomes available in the town for a prospective new home.
The managing director of Morgan Sindall Investments Ltd made the offer of help in a letter to the club this week.
Morgan Sindall and Wessex Delivery LLP acquired the Wildcats’ former base at Radipole Lane from Wessex Park Ltd back in October 2008 and two years later WDP evicted the speedway outfit after a failure to pay the rent.
Harold Doonan then attempted to take over the lease in a bid to resuscitate the ailing club but the landowners turned away his efforts and recently had the track dug up.
Morgan Sindall and Wessex Del-ivery also hold an option agreement on Weymouth FC’s Bob Lucas Stadium and are currently searching for possible sites to relocate the ground – a move that has been welcomed by the Terras’ board.
In response to an email sent by Wildcats’ press officer Julie Martin to Morgan Sindall public relations contact Rob Miatt, Battey said: “Your email to Rob Miatt has been passed to me because Morgan Sindall Investments Ltd (MSIL) is one of the partners in the Wessex Delivery LLP.
“Wessex Delivery LLP does not act at the sole discretion of MSIL as you infer in your email but we do nevertheless expect to conduct our business in accordance with the quote you also repeat in your email (“We work in partnership with local communities and their government agencies and stakeholders to en-hance social and economic benefits and achieve wider community outcomes across the United Kingdom”).
“As no doubt you are aware Wessex Delivery LLP did consider Mr Doonan’s letter sent earlier in the year and our position has not changed in that regard.
“We have also been searching for land in the Weymouth area to enable us to relocate the football stadium and if whilst doing so we become aware of a prospective site that might suit your needs I will let you know as soon as possible.
“Whilst writing please note that the land to which you refer has not been used as a builders’ dumping ground. Any waste and rubble etc on there was already present and is being cleared from the site not stored on it.”
Doonan has welcomed Battey’s response and has called for the speedway track to be incorporated in any new stadium development for the football club.
He said: “It took eight weeks for them to respond to our original letter and this is the first time Ernie Battey has made contact himself.
“However, there are still two questions that need answering and that is why, with no planning permission, have they decided to destroy the track at Radipole Lane? And secondly, if they are going to move the football club, what are their plans for the ground there?
“Also, if they are going to go to all this trouble why can’t they incorporate a speedway track around the football pitch at the new site?
“It would certainly make more sense as you would have just one load of rates to pay between the two clubs and all the money earned from the bar and whatever else is in the new development would go into the same pot.
“It would also make sense for the good of the community.”
Comments(31)
2012Weymouth
says...
11:17am Thu 8 Dec 11
But to answer Royals point, the football club WANT a new ground, with better facilities where they have a chance to make some revenue, I don't think it matters where it is, as long it is has good function rooms for weddings and to be able to hold corporate events including conferences. Anything is better than the present facility because that can never pay it's way. What ruined this football club was the decision NOT to move ASDA and build a brand new stadium next to a brand new ASDA Ian Ridley's plan. And I think if that decision was made just a few months later it would have been agreed, and by now it would be all up and running. A speedway facility is going to be almost impossible to incorporate within a new stadium complex because of the noise factor, it JUST ABOUT got away it where it was. Its no good moaning at Morgan Sindall they haven't done anything wrong.....they might be able to help. However the Curtis deal to sell was still wrong in my opinion especially the underhanded way it was done. There is no simple solution, but the question is why when all this talking/planning is going on the speedway could have been granted another year or two....or 3. That was MEAN to do that to them.
Crabber
says...
11:37am Thu 8 Dec 11
2012Weymouth
says...
12:56pm Thu 8 Dec 11
royals
says...
1:13pm Thu 8 Dec 11
I think you have missed my point Weymouth has a sporting area for Weymouth THE LAND At Wessex STADIUM which is in the local plan for this use. So why change this
Weymouth Football how many more new stadiums do they want ???
If they cannot make the wessex Stadium work they will not be able to make a new stadium work. Do you really believe Morgan swindell are going to build a big and better stadium than the wessex stadium. It would be done on the cheap with £100,000 cash up front (which within a year WFC would have blown by paying to much in wages again)
If the football club does ever move you be lucky if you get a bar let alone Conference and wedding facilities unless the put it next to a camp site
2012Weymouth
says...
1:37pm Thu 8 Dec 11
kickmaster
says...
2:58pm Thu 8 Dec 11
2012Weymouth
says...
4:51pm Thu 8 Dec 11
gameon
says...
6:46pm Thu 8 Dec 11
PHonnor
says...
6:55pm Thu 8 Dec 11
gameon wrote:Have you ever been to a football stadium where there is a running/speedway track between the stands and the pitch? Its a crap atmosphere and you need binoculars to watch the match. IF it was a building condition to have a speedway track and around a football pitch then fair enough we'll take it but its not an ideal scenario.
2012weymouth in answer to your question about why the rent was unpaid by the wildcats promoter ,that was the former promoter Mr Bartlett who renaged on the rental agreement with morgan or wessex or M Curtis whoever it was they were not paid .But That had nothing to do with Harold Doonan who along with others including support from The rt hon Richard Drax & The rt hon MP Oliver Letwin and local councillors is striving very hard to bring speedway back to Weymouth he has offered to pay up front in advance to whoever chooses to say they are the owners of the wessex stadium and untill now there has been nothing but silence from the owners so i Emphasise to you 2012 Weymouth that the past promoter is in no way connected with the present prospective promoters .Also you say speedway and the football wouldnt work in the same stadium Erm i take it you have heard of poole Stadium where for many years footie the dogs and speedway quite happily ran together in a venue a mere few hundred yards from the town centre and still continues to thrive although the footie has gone down the road a bit .Football and speedway in Weymouth together in a stadium would bring nothing but benefits to all concerned ,ie the owners ,the clubs ,the supporters enjoying the facilities,and a facility that Weymouth ,would be proud of.
2012Weymouth
says...
7:03pm Thu 8 Dec 11
gameon
says...
8:03pm Thu 8 Dec 11
PHonnor wrote:Actually i have mate Poole stadium as is now In order DOGS,Speedway,And formerly Football ,and it all worked fine .Latterly in years back Wembley ,athletics speedway football .The White City ,Athletics ,Speedway ,Football.If You want a crap atmosphere how far away from the proposed playing area do you think this white Elephant of an Olympic stadium in East london will be ????a lot further than the pitch would be if we have a combined new stadium at weymouth thats what you call crap ???
gameon wrote:Have you ever been to a football stadium where there is a running/speedway track between the stands and the pitch? Its a crap atmosphere and you need binoculars to watch the match. IF it was a building condition to have a speedway track and around a football pitch then fair enough we'll take it but its not an ideal scenario.
2012weymouth in answer to your question about why the rent was unpaid by the wildcats promoter ,that was the former promoter Mr Bartlett who renaged on the rental agreement with morgan or wessex or M Curtis whoever it was they were not paid .But That had nothing to do with Harold Doonan who along with others including support from The rt hon Richard Drax & The rt hon MP Oliver Letwin and local councillors is striving very hard to bring speedway back to Weymouth he has offered to pay up front in advance to whoever chooses to say they are the owners of the wessex stadium and untill now there has been nothing but silence from the owners so i Emphasise to you 2012 Weymouth that the past promoter is in no way connected with the present prospective promoters .Also you say speedway and the football wouldnt work in the same stadium Erm i take it you have heard of poole Stadium where for many years footie the dogs and speedway quite happily ran together in a venue a mere few hundred yards from the town centre and still continues to thrive although the footie has gone down the road a bit .Football and speedway in Weymouth together in a stadium would bring nothing but benefits to all concerned ,ie the owners ,the clubs ,the supporters enjoying the facilities,and a facility that Weymouth ,would be proud of.
gameon
says...
8:50pm Thu 8 Dec 11
2012Weymouth wrote:Your opinion is respected you obviously are against speedway thats fine we cant all be the same what a dull world if we were !!!!
It worked in the 60's! 50 years on, times have changed. It will never happen so you might as well keep looking for a field somewhere.
2012Weymouth
says...
11:42pm Thu 8 Dec 11
No I am not against Speedway at all, it would be fine with a Dog Track but not with a Football Club.
2012Weymouth
says...
11:59pm Thu 8 Dec 11
1) They want some kind of income out of the area
2) There is no short term plan to build on it
3) This is a change of use, but a small change in use got agreed when the caravans were allowed to be parked on the football car park...making a precedent possible.
So not all bad news for the football club as far as I can see, just a shame the speedway got this treatment for a open air storage area!
gameon
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12:02am Fri 9 Dec 11
2012Weymouth
says...
12:25am Fri 9 Dec 11
PHonnor
says...
7:13am Fri 9 Dec 11
gameon wrote:But we are talking about a small 5000ish capacity stadium without the benefits of being able to sit in the "heavens" or have the benefit of being to hold 80,90 thousand which does help the atmosphere, WFC gets less than 1000 per game at present but thats another talking point.
your the first person to come out with this application I cant beleive Harold doonan knows about it .i cant see what your problem is regarding speedway and football at the same stadium they dont excactly race or play on the same night if you go to poole you will see the distance from the dog track and the race track to the playing field is not that far look at the distance from the playing areas at wembley and the millenium stadium and if you were sat in the high seats at the big footy stadiums thats a long way away take your bins with you .
HedgehogWinter
says...
1:34pm Fri 9 Dec 11
Don't be greedy...
keeman
says...
4:16pm Fri 9 Dec 11
212 dorset
says...
5:44pm Fri 9 Dec 11
muffmagic
says...
7:57pm Fri 9 Dec 11
gameon
says...
8:56pm Fri 9 Dec 11
HedgehogWinter wrote:You are so right mate a few dots on the horizon through binoculars for two weeks and for that we have had the town dug up, untold disruption costing Millions of pounds.
Why would you want a return of the floodlit drama, excitement, noise, smell, atmosphere, fun, team spirit and friendly entertainment of Speedway when you have a few little boats to watch through binoculars on the horizon next year to look forward to ?
Don't be greedy...
2012Weymouth
says...
9:44pm Fri 9 Dec 11
keeman wrote:"Get the Land" They already own the land!
An interesting thread. Kickmaster is right, the stadium is very run down and will require mega bucks spent on it in the not too distant future if the club do not relocate. The only viable option is that Battey & co. get the land in exchange for a new stadium of the required standard. Other wise the long term future is bleak.
2012Weymouth
says...
9:56pm Fri 9 Dec 11
gameon wrote:Hmmmm Speedway and Sailing....No that's going to work either.
HedgehogWinter wrote:You are so right mate a few dots on the horizon through binoculars for two weeks and for that we have had the town dug up, untold disruption costing Millions of pounds.
Why would you want a return of the floodlit drama, excitement, noise, smell, atmosphere, fun, team spirit and friendly entertainment of Speedway when you have a few little boats to watch through binoculars on the horizon next year to look forward to ?
Don't be greedy...
muffmagic
says...
6:17pm Sat 10 Dec 11
Crabber
says...
12:47pm Sun 11 Dec 11
muffmagic wrote:They won't need a stadium The Marsh is adequate for the Muff they're crap anyway BRING BACK THE WILDCATS!!
So where exactly is the new football stadium going to go?
muffmagic
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6:22pm Sun 11 Dec 11
muffmagic
says...
6:22pm Sun 11 Dec 11
InTheDirt
says...
5:27am Mon 12 Dec 11
InTheDirt
says...
5:28am Mon 12 Dec 11
click2find
royals says...
10:09am Thu 8 Dec 11
Weymouth has a sporting area which was used by Speedway and Kids football but Morgan Swindell / Battie Crutiss Wessex Delivery What ever they want to be called have knocked that down.What ever the spin you put on this it is not for the good of the community.
I hope the planners do the right thing for the good of the community and tell Morgan Swindell to go to hell