Walthamstow Greyhound Stadium; bid rejected and is now up for a housing society proposed by London and Quadrant
Dating back to the 1930s, the Walthamstow Greyhound Stadium is now being looked upon as a highly potential site for a housing society rather than opening it back up for races which were last held in 2008. The residents and various fans do not want to let
go off the race track which is no less than a legend as far as the greyhound racing is concerned.
Among those who had fought to save the stadium includes the sports icon David Beckham who has teenage memories of working at the stadium and is horrified at its present fate. He went on saying:
“It's a real shame to see it go as it means so much to the area”.
It is located in the London Borough of Waltham Forest in east London and was just out of a very few race tracks in Greater London, rather there are only two race tracks around that place, the other one being Romford.
It included gambling too when it opened up in 1933 by William Chandler and still remains to be the property of the same family. It had a larger attendance also because of the capacity which was 5,000 spectators and more income than any other racing track
in the UK.
Mr. Morton, president of the Greyhound Owners, Breeders and Trainers Association and also a greyhound enthusiast had bid almost £9m for the Walthamstow Greyhound Stadium. He claimed to host the long awaited sport along with affordable housing, sports and
leisure uses for the community.
However, according to London and Quadrant, Mr. Morton’s offer was not compatible with the current market value. According to an estimate, L&Q has thought to have paid £18m for the venue. To them the profits coming in from the flats seem to be higher than
anything that can be generated from the racing.
At the end of the day the offer failed to bring both the parties towards a mutual consent, one doubting the feasibility of the proposition and the other claiming to know better being a businessman himself.
The report on the “familyfriendly” housing estate, which would now be there instead of the stadium, suggests that its 1932 art deco entrance arch with its image of a running greyhound should be preserved. It further proposes to keep the facilities still
in use for instance the kennels are now to be used as car parks.
The element of abundant space that the stadium offers is fundamental to the nature of the site. Spacious family sized units as opposed to small apartments for single people and couples.
Whether they are proposing these preservations as a fake consolation or they have other financial aspects at stake is still to be judged. Preserving the structure of it only will for sure fail to keep the essence of the stadium intact.
Tags: