Belle Vue Sports Village: Have Your Say

GORTON has been looking neglected and in need of regeneration for some time. 

"There is strong support for the Sports Village in Gorton already but we want residents to know that their best interests have been thoroughly discussed and catered for."

Once one of the city's popular tourism sites, Belle Vue in Gorton has fallen by the wayside, but the creation of Belle Vue Sport Village is hoping to add a new lease of life to the area.

Basketball Hall

The City Council will be holding a public consultation from Tuesday 10 June for members of the community to voice their opinions and add suggestions to the creation of Belle Vue Sports Village.

"We would urge anyone in the local community to come forward with their views on the proposals for Belle Vue Sports Village," said Councillor Jeff Smith, the Executive Member for Housing and Regeneration.

"The development will sit at the heart of the Gorton area and will become a major asset that the local community will be encouraged to take full advantage of."

The new sports village will become home to major national centres for both speedway (motorbike racing) and basketball, offering a range of sports facilities for both community and elite users, along with modernisation of the current local leisure centre.

Initial plans were announced last year including a speedway stadium for the Belle Vue Aces, a national performance centre for basketball (which will include a 2,000 seat match court), two new all-weather pitches and improvements to current facilities.

Grandstand

The new speedway stadium will include a 1,800 seat grandstand, which will give the club a chance to host national race meets as well as having one of the best tracks in Europe. The new stadium will also include acoustic treatment to reduce noise for the first time in the history of the club at Belle Vue.

Also proposed is the introduction of a Speedway Academy to provide training and coaching to riders from the age seven. Training will include riding, technical and mechanical skills in both a practical and classroom setting. The academy will be open to local people, and also work with local schools and The Manchester College.

David Gordon, Belle Vue speedway's Chief Executive Officer, commented: "It's terrific for Manchester, and Gorton in particular, as well as the sport of speedway, that the Council have decided the time is right to take this initiative. It's the massive step forward we have been working towards.

"We are delighted that our plans to keep Belle Vue where it belongs, where the club has raced since formation in 1928, are really moving ahead. There is strong support for the Sports Village in Gorton already but we want residents to know that their best interests have been thoroughly discussed and catered for."

 Follow Niamh Spence on Twitter at @missnspence

Grandstand

Terrace