Tonight’s Evening Standard has Walthamstow Stadium as one of it’s comments of the day!
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There is also a full piece with regards to the Mayor’s terrible decision not to intervene.
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Local residents, voice your views and opinions
If any local residents would like to contact SOS directly - Rick Holloway is available by email: rickyjholloway@gmail.com or by phone: 07913 325674Iain Duncan Smith (Secretary of State for Work and Pensions)
Iain will keep up the pressure on L&Q as he is determined to save the Stow for his constituents!
Stella Creasy MP
'In the words of Marks and Spencer, this isn’t just any dog track… this is the Walthamstow Stadium'
Mayor of London
'My vision for the regeneration of this site includes a range of leisure uses and new affordable housing with heritage assets protected and enhanced. Ideally, this would restore greyhound racing to this, its primary and historic home' - Mayor of London, Boris Johnson
Culture Minister
'It's the best surviving and most architecturally interesting vintage stadiums in the country, and a major East London landmark. It is only right that we should celebrate this architectural showpiece to popular entertainment by listing its key components' - Culture Minister, David Lammy
Save Walthamstow Cinema
Save Walthamstow Cinema hopes that Waltham Forest Council take the same decision with Walthamstow Stadium as they did with Walthamstow's EMD/Granada cinema. Namely to help safeguard it's future as one of the borough's most important leisure venues and heritage assets; providing a source of employment, pride, enjoyment and identity for future generations of Waltham Forest residents and visitors.Residents views
No.1 Simply put L&Q have become a massive organisation and cash rich. They are doing what they want. The land banking of the Stow site when there is a perfectly viable alternative proposal that will benefit all the community is almost criminal. The delivery of social housing and affordable homes is now effectively privatised and these large organisations need feeding. I am not surprised they have ignored most of who will be affected as they have never asked anyone if they want the return of the Stow. I hope the Councillors have seen through all this and refuse any L&Q applications until they learn to consult properly and react accordingly.- No.2 Did anyone notice that in last weeks waltham forest guardian there were no less that 3 seperate articles involving L&Q, In all 3 articles the residents of waltham forest disagree with L&Qs proposals and plans, yet L&Q still maintain “Thats its plans are shaped in consultation with local residents” are they talking about the 6% of local residents that were undecided whether they want greyhound racing to be returned to the “stow”. If L&Q are prepared to brush aside the wishes of 94% of local residents in order to get what they want then this says a lot about them as a charity, In my opinion, even though L&Q say thay will make a loss of £25 million if they redevelop the stow, The executives will probably earn tens of thousands of pounds from tendering contracts to various building companies and trades who will be queing up to do the work, i wonder where this money will go? i doubt if it will end up in L&Qs bank account, maybe thats why they are happy to make a loss of £25 million of taxpayers money so that they can beef up their own bank accounts. This whole affair leaves a very nasty taste in my mouth, It is now time for the government to step in and put an end to this blatant wastage of taxpayers money and bring those responsable to justice, L&Qs behavior makes the MPs expenses scandal look like petty.
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its a strange thing for boris johnson to say…….i went to alot of meetings before the closure and the attendance was very healthy, especially on the saturday meeting. The Chandlers used dwindling profits as a reason for selling and the council allowing a change of use. This can be very misleading as the income can be the same or even increase, but if director salaries and pensions are rapidly increased, this will affect profits drastically. Only one thing should have been consulted before drawing…..the dogs has had its day ……conclusion, and that was attendence receipts.This would give a true reflection and would make interesting reading. The fact that the Chandlers were able to manipulate figures and get 18 million for an assett worth about half of that seems to have been brushed under the carpet ???
You could argue it was exceptionally shrewd business by them and you would have to think that the party took for a ride in this way would be licking their wounds, or jumping out of office windows…..but when you realise its actually me the tax payer that has helped buy this, no one is accountable !!!!
ironically, i watched a Derren Brown programme last night that was recorded a few years back at the stadium……a large crowd, an electric atmosphere and hundreds of people enjoying a great night out…..ah well, its nostalgia now.
I totally agree with what Alan has said. Just want to add the following: The Chandlers hoodwinked not only the public but the greyhound trainers, staff, and media in the months leading up to the closure of the stadium. I went racing three times a week to the STOW, the Chandlers gave verbal reassurances to the trainers at a meeting that the track was safe and not for sale, that was end of 2007. The Chandlers were playing for time seeking how to squirrel even more money away into their ever bulging coffers- ironically they raised the price of food and drink to extortionate levels and Chandler himself would stand at the gates making sure old and young paid entrance fees and bought racecards before the place closed in the August of 2008.
LQ, Boris, and the Chandlers were all in it for the money- it sure is the tax payer that is the loser, the family man with his hard earned cash that treated his family to a great night at the STOW, the old aged pensioners who I knew who suffered wartime hardship, and the staff whose jobs disappeared , some who had worked at the TOTE windows for years, it’s these people that Boris our so-called peoples Mayor has neglected and didn’t give a second thought about. What makes me sick is the statement he made publicly about the need to resurrect dog racing to Walthamstow again??? Unbelievable. Just hope IDS and Stella Creasey raise this topic in the HOuse of Commons very soon.