Speedway supporters in Peterborough were called 'selfish' by company boss for trying to stop development of the Showground site in Peterborough where motorcycle racing has taken place for 50 years.
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00:00 Paul, I know it's a sore point, but why can't you include a Speedway track in your music?
00:07 It's a great point!
00:09 It's the one word he hasn't used yet!
00:11 To be fair, put your money on the table now!
00:15 Is that my time?
00:17 No, no, no, no, because I've got all day to talk about this.
00:21 So, the reason why we can't have Speedway, as I've said to you Paul, 25 times,
00:27 and I've said to Speedway 250 times,
00:31 it loses money.
00:33 It lost the charity. They keep saying it's viable. It is not viable.
00:37 I can show you the accounts, the records, the finances over 50 years of losing money.
00:44 A charity cannot support a sport that is privately owned to lose money.
00:51 Now, their accounts say it made money.
00:54 It made £7,000.
00:57 But that's because the charity was supporting it financially.
01:01 Now, why can't we, as we go forward, when it's not the charity,
01:05 who in their right mind commercially would support our privately owned business to lose us money?
01:12 Any hands up?
01:15 That is the bottom line answer.
01:18 The other answer is who in their right mind
01:21 - could be some Speedway fans in the room -
01:24 would buy our house if Speedway was here.
01:26 Or here, or here, or here.
01:28 It does not work.
01:30 But you would probably buy a house if there's a driving range.
01:34 Or if there's other facilities.
01:37 So, commercially and viability-wise, it does not work.
01:41 And also operationally, to develop housing and leisure, it doesn't work.
01:46 What we do have is letters of support for this development.
01:51 And those letters of support - thank you -
01:54 those letters of support are really powerful.
01:58 Enormous letters of support.
02:01 And those letters of support at the moment probably represent about 50,000 people in the community.
02:09 So not 1,800 or 500,
02:12 but about 50,000 people in the community are supporting and backing and the voice of that.
02:19 We believe we have pipeline getting up to 100,000 people supporting this.
02:26 Today, we would love your support.
02:29 That's my selling bit.
02:31 So if anybody wants to talk to me later or write us a lovely letter of support,
02:34 we would massively appreciate that. Thank you.
02:36 Actually, this is support here.
02:38 This is what people of Leedsbrook want and need.
02:41 Rather than a very small cohort.
02:44 And the other thing is - sorry, my last thing. Sorry, Paul, you brought it up.
02:48 Is how bloody selfish of a very small cohort of people
02:55 trying to stop a development for their own sport.
03:01 14 times a year, three hours per time.
03:04 They're trying to stop this from happening in Peterborough.
03:07 Really, really selfish.
03:10 It's what people do.
03:14 Thank you.
03:16 [APPLAUSE]