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Is the idea of the all-weather track at Musselburgh now dead in the water?
Will Great Leighs ever start racing again, if not what is to happen to the track?
Answer to the first question is yes. The plan was rejected back in 2007 by the Scottish executive after a three week public enquiry.
Great Leighs won’t be racing again. A buyer couldn’t be found for the racecourse and the latest I heard was that it will sold for redevelopment.
Rob
Cheers Rob – shame on both fronts really! I thought I’d read recently that the AW at Musselburgh was not totally ruled out, although very vociferous local opposition was noted pre-2007.
akaali
Actually I beg to differ regarding the first one. A floodlit all-weather track at Musselburgh would have b****red the place totally. Much as I would welcome an all-weather track in Scotland going to be the right setting.
Rob
By that I take it you mean it would have turned the course into a Wolves of the North. At risk of pulling my head firmly on the block, I will anyway!, I think Scottish racing could easily lose Musselburgh, flat anyway, to the all-weather. It is the least characterful for flat racing of the Scottish tracks by a mile – and the relatively recent developments – sorry if I offend the facilities, but concede they are a definite improvement – look as if they were initiated in anticipation of regular, all-weather racing.
Where else in the central belt would there be the appetite, not to mention passing planning consent hurdles, for a new Scottish track? Strategically from Scottish Racing’s viewpoint it would perhaps be best in the south Lanarkshire area…you will likely know more of whether it is viable but I suspect not..
It’s difficult to see any of the existing courses being converted to all-weather. If I were to suggest any site for such a course I’d say the old site of Lanark racecourse would be as good as any. It’s as near as damn it a flat site, about the right size for a mile/mile and a quarter oval and there’s been no significant development since closure.
In the current climate I can’t see anything happening, and my Lanark idea would presumably be seen as pie in the sky anyway. Serious investment would be needed particularly for a new site. More immediate concerns seem to regard the viability of current courses if there is no long-term funding agreement put in place for racing.
Rob
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