Haunting abandoned RACE TRACK left to rot after plans to transform into football ground fell through
A RACE track has been left to rot after plans to transform into a football ground fell through.
The stadium in Brandon, Warwickshire served as the home of the Coventry Bees motorcycle speedway team for nearly 90 years before its closure.
Brandon Stadium, also known as Coventry Stadium, was closed in 2016 after the Coventry Bees stopped racing there.
Their departure resulted after the team failed to reach a deal to continue racing at the site.
A video by YouTube channel Explore With Shano showed the now derelict and overgrown site.
In the video he walks through the crumbling stadium which suffered from an arson attack in 2022.
Clear burn marks are still visible across the structure which is littered with deformed and partially melted metal.
The video also showed destroyed interiors of buildings on the site.
Many are filled with shattered glass and have their furnishings damaged and left lying on the floor.
The stadium first hosted speedway events in 1928, before also taking on stock car racing in the 1950s.
It had been a popular stop for many high-profile speedway events in its lifetime.
Under the old format of the Speedway World Championship, it held events including the British Speedway Championship and the Commonwealth and Overseas finals.
It also hosted the 1998, 1999 and 2000 Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain.
The ‘Brandonapolis’ was an annual event at the site which featured some of the world’s best speedway riders.
It was postponed in 2011, due to a dispute with British Speedway (BSPA).
Then, after the Coventry Bees ended their racing at the site in 2016, it fell into ruin.
Explore With Shano’s video shows the now overgrown track and abandoned stands.
Graffiti now dominates the walls and structures of the stadium, with many displaying an homage to the former glory of the grounds and its racing heritage.
There had been plans to convert the stadium into homes and a 3G football pitch with a pavilion by its owners.
Brandon Estates (BE) put forward the plan but it was unanimously refused by Rugby Borough Council in November 2022.
The company then appealed against the decision at the planning inquiry.
Then in January this year, the plans and appeal were thrown out by a planning inspector.
By March, the deadline to appeal that subsequent decision passed and campaigners confirmed no legal challenge had been put forward by BE.
Planning Inspector Helen Hockenhull threw out the owners’ appeal as she was not persuaded the site was surplus to requirements or that the value of a 3G pitch outweighed that of a community stadium.