Plans to reject 650 homes on showground overturned

A council has overturned a decision to reject plans to build hundreds of homes on a former showground and speedway track.

Peterborough City Council (PCC)'s appeals and planning review committee met on Monday to reconsider proposals for 650 homes on the former East of England Showground in Alwalton.

Asset Earning Power Group (AEPG)'s application was refused by councillors in October, while a second blueprint for 850 homes, a hotel, care home and leisure facilities was granted outline planning permission.

The decision relating to the 650 homes was called in by the committee, meaning it was considered again from scratch.

The outline planning permission granted for the second part of AEPG's application, for 850 homes and other facilities, was unaffected.

It gives AEPG the green light for its full development of the former East of England Showground, which would involve building over the former motorcycle speedway track, home to the Peterborough Panthers team for 53 years until 2023.

The committee met on Monday at the council's Fletton Quays offices and heard representations from councillors, members of the public and AEPG.

Ashley Butterfield, AEPG's chief executive, said the development had "considerable benefits" that would address a housing shortage in Peterborough.

"The alternative provision offered will outweigh the loss of the speedway track and offer social and wellbeing benefits that collectively far exceed the offer from the showground," he said.

Councillors initially refused the application for 650 homes on the grounds of overdevelopment and concerns about losing the showground and speedway track.

A request to call in the decision was signed by several of the committee members, who cited reasons such as "lack of planning reasons", "outdated policies", "inaccurate figures" and "no consideration of benefits".

Julie Stevenson, an independent councillor in Orton Waterville, said local people held the "firm belief" that the original refusal should be upheld.

"Uphold the sound decision that our colleagues made in October and reject this application on the grounds of overdevelopment," she said.

Mick Bratley, from the Peterborough Speedway Consortium, said there were policies in place to protect sporting clubs "who find themselves in the situation that Peterborough speedway does today".

He said it would take about one month to recommission the speedway track if they were allowed to return, including reinstalling infrastructure such as seats and a safety fence.

Ahead of the meeting, some of the committee's members were sent an email questioning the validity of the call-in, which the council dismissed, saying it had sought "specialist advice" on the matter.

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