An impassioned appeal to councillors to refuse planning permission for Abbey Stadium’s redevelopment on the grounds of animal welfare failed.

Protestors against greyhound racing were at the meeting of Swindon Borough Council’s Planning Committee last night to ask councillors to refuse the application while the stadium continued to host dog racing.

Stephanie Poyntz who set up the Facebook group Stop Swindon Greyhound Racing told the meeting that the council’s local plan said a perceived poor image of Swindon potentially hindered investment in the town. 

She said: “Having an outdated greyhound racing stadium in the town when most other towns and cities turned away from them decades ago does not help the poor perception of Swindon.  I didn’t know much about Swindon when I first started working here but I was disappointed to learn that there was still a greyhound race track here.”

She said her group had no problem with speedway and was in favour of the stadium being used for that sport.

And while the deputy chair of the committee, Toby Elliott spoke in support of the application – he had stinging words for the stadium owners Gaming International.

He said: “It’s been incredibly frustrating trying to get this stadium delivered.

“I don’t want to see another house constructed on the site until Gaming International deliver a new speedway stadium that is good for Swindon.

“It shows the esteem the developer shows this committee that they can’t be bothered to turn up tonight - it’s disgusting frankly.

He added: "I don’t really trust them not to build more houses and then not deliver the stadium and just sod off, basically. We need to put a line in the sand because the developer is still in breach of the previous section 106 agreement. We should say what enforcement we’re going to bring.”

Ward councillor Vera Tomlinson said the borough council needed to give a firm lead to the developers to get the stadium redeveloped; she proposed approving the application with a condition that permission be granted as long as no more houses are built or occupied on the site until the stadium is rebuilt.

The application was granted permission by nine votes to one abstention.