London’s mayor, Boris Johnson, has come out in support of dog racing returning to Walthamstow Stadium and is urging its owners to listen to the opinions of local residents and MPs.
The mayor said: “London has a rich tradition of dog racing and it is lamentable that some of its iconic stadiums have suffered decline and closure in recent years. I urge Londoners to support this increasingly endangered pursuit and the owners of the remaining stadiums to preserve these in active use for dog racing for the benefit of Londoners.”
He added: “I urge the owners of Walthamstow Stadium to take full consideration of the needs and wishes of local people with regard to the future of this sporting venue.”
The mayor’s comments came just days before the Stow’s owner, housing association, London and Quadrant (L&Q) was due to hold a three-day consultation with residents regarding the site’s future. His support offers a major boost to the pro-dog racing campaign being spearheaded by local group, Save our Stow, and MPs Iain Duncan Smith and Stella Creasy.
The two MPs said in a joint statement: “We welcome this breakthrough in trying to progress the future of Walthamstow Stadium – Boris joins us in wanting to see this site being brought back into use for the benefit of the local economy and the local community and being concerned at the antics of the housing developer who currently owns it.
“We hope London and Quadrant gets the message loud and clear that they need to start talking seriously to developers like Mr Morton to see if a deal can be done to restore the track and bring housing to the area – the patience of the people of Walthamstow and Chingford will not stand for anything less”, they added.
Bob Morton, a local businessman whose offers to purchase the site have so far been rejected by L&Q, remains keen to make an offer. Mr Morton said: “I want to give the local community what it wants: greyhound racing, housing, full leisure facilities and a multi-use stadium for the use of all residents. I want to work with the council, residents and politicians to give the iconic stadium the respect this major landmark of the East End deserves.” He plans to now offer L&Q what he has been advised is the stadium’s market value. Failing this, Mr Morton is willing to work in partnership with the current owners to champion residents’ wishes and ensure dog-racing is a core part of future developments.
At present, L&Q has cancelled its resident consultation after just one day. The meetings have been cut-short after the housing association claimed it felt threatened by the members of the Save our Stow campaign. The campaigners have refuted the claim, saying its members were on good terms with the L&Q representatives at the December 2nd meeting.
Please, NO RETURN to greyhound racing!