Am I missing something?

[Andrew G]

[quote] Major grants for Hillingdon Circuit for track feasibility

The year 2009 starts in the best possible way for the Hillingdon Cycle Circuit where the Users Group has been awarded a grant of £12,249 by the Hillingdon Community Trust. This is being matched by the LB Hillingdon to achieve the total £25,000 required to carry out a feasibility study on the construction of a 250 metre banked track, together with buildings for the efficient running of both the track and the existing road circuit. This includes a club hut for administration of events, especially the Slipstreamers children’s club with a membership of nearly 200.

When the feasibility study has been completed, which is likely by April, it will form the basis for an application for planning permission which, if granted, will allow the application for capital grants for the project. This is likely to be mainly from lottery funds controlled by Sport England, plus grants from other sources, including Hillingdon Council. The overall cost can’t be assessed until the feasibility study has been completed.

David Brough, chairman of the Hillingdon Community Trust, a local charity funded by BAA, says, "I am delighted that the Hillingdon Community Trust is joining with the Council to back the feasibility study. The Users' Group is promoting an excellent range of activities at the Circuit and I hope that this study will help them gain national backing for their imaginative plans"

Chris Spencer Director of Children's Services at Hillingdon council and a member of the Cycling England board added: "This is wonderful news for the local community and could lead to local residents having access to national standard facilities on their doorstep. It will also provide local youngsters and schools in the area with an opportunity to learn to ride their bike in a safe off-road environment right up to sampling track racing". Chris has been working hard behind the scenes with British Cycling to attract the support of the organisation in supporting local ambitions.

“This is great,” says Stuart Benstead, chairman of the Users Group, “and means we can look forward to fulfil an undoubted huge demand for track racing, especially since the fantastic success of our track cyclists at the Olympic Games.

“In fact Bradley Wiggins started his race career at the age of 12 on the then unopened Hayes by-pass, adjacent to the present circuit, which led to construction of the road circuit, but had to go to Herne Hill or Reading to learn about track racing in which he has since won three Olympic gold medals over two Games and just been awarded the CBE.

“If we get the new track, local youngsters can aspire to similar heights.”

The Users Group is composed of nine organisations covering various cycling disciplines and age groupings, plus the London Nordic Ski Club, all of which hire the circuit on a regular basis. The latest member is the Women’s Fitness Club, meeting every Friday for newcomers of all ages to the pastime, rather than the sport, even being taught to balance on a cycle.

The grant from Hillingdon Council was announced to the Users Group by Cllr. Henry Higgins, Cabinet Member for Sport and Leisure, very aptly during a visit to the circuit by Olympic Team Sprint gold medallist track rider Jamie Staff when he met a group of ambitious Slipstreamers. The Users Group will be making up the small balance, having already spent around £5,000 from its own funds on an environmental survey and topographic survey.

The feasibility study will be carried out by Acanthus LA Architects, led by Christopher Richards and Andrew Postings, both being regular users of the circuit as skier and cyclist, respectively.

[Apples]

[quote]£25,000 required to carry out a feasibility study

[Apples]

[quote]The feasibility study will be carried out by Acanthus LA Architects, led by Christopher Richards and Andrew Postings, both being regular users of the circuit as [size=150]skier[/size] and cyclist, respectively.

[carl f]

I heard before xmas that HH is under threat from being sold of by dulwich estate?. It would be a huge loss to local grass roots cycling. My son has just started there and joined VCL. In october i took him there for a couple of sessions and he amongst loads of other kiddies loved it.It was packed. Not sure how true this rumour is.....
But i guess between the proposed hillingdon track and the new olympic velodrome, HH will become forgotten
Cheers
Carl

[Mark Leedham]

It is because the Herne Hill stadium site is owned by Dulwich estate that it was not sold off in the late 19th century like most other facilities. The Estate Governers did not want housing too near to the school.

Since 1976, the site has been classified as Metropolitan Open Land and planning permission cannot be granted for innappropriate development that is not essential to the enjoyment of and its use as open space.

[-Adam-]

Herne Hill is perhaps the greatest Olympic legacy there ever was, no?

[carl f]

I got talking to a wife of a member of VCL. She told me dulwich estate would like to build a leisure park on the site of the track
As i said its a rumor....
Don't think the locals would like it!
They moan about the motorbikes making noise on the track in the summer

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

Isn't it amazing how the rumour mill works.....

HERNE HILL
- the facts...yes it is MOL, but that doesn't stop DE getting that set aside.
The cast iron columns suporting the roof are listed and cannot be touched (until they fall down with neglect)
Peter King and Kate Hoey (and all at BC) are working hard behind the scenes and have circa £500,000 to be released if DE will allow BC to refurbish HH
John Major, head honcho at DE (allegedly) wants a leisure centre built there, but Southwark won't give planning permission. Together with Cluttons, they are trying to get a better return.
DE keep renwing BC's lease on short terms, meaning Sport England won't consider funding.
The local residents oppose any development, other than low key cycling facilities.

HILLINGDON
Before the road circuit was even built, the layout of the circuit was such that a track was factored in, and was planned long long ago as an additional facility.
The feasability study will probably show that there is sufficient demand, even with other tracks built in London, given the upsurge in cycling's popularity.

Guru P

[Snoop Doug]

Flatten it then turn it into a giant cake shop. Cake is the way forward cycling is over rated.

[Andrew G]

[quote="mrP(Boonen)VT"]Isn't it amazing how the rumour mill works.....

[Jon H]

[quote="Snoop Doug"]Flatten it then turn it into a giant cake shop.

[quote="Andrew G"][quote="mrP(Boonen)VT"]Isn't it amazing how the rumour mill works.....

[Andrew G]

[url]http://kingcake.com/[/url]
Very nice.

Wasn't meant as a dig at you personally Paul and I'm aware that during discussion certain things can't be made public. It does often come across in the manner I said though with the lack of info by the governing body to the people who are members. This may be the fault of a PR department who should release better quality information. The article I pasted was from the LCS site, now I don't think my comments were too out of hand based on what was written. A bit of background information in one small paragraph about the current situations would clear up any misunderstandings. Regardless of what has been said, and where, I do not imagine for one moment that there will be 3 velodromes in the London area in 2012. If there is then it's a waste of money as there isn't the demand for that and some of the funds should go to other areas of the sport.

[Snoop Doug]

[quote]Cake is a form of food that is usually sweet and often baked. Cakes normally combine some kind of flour, a sweetening agent (commonly sugar), a binding agent (generally egg, though gluten or starch are often used by vegetarians and vegans), fats (usually butter, shortening, or margarine, although a fruit purée such as applesauce is sometimes substituted to avoid using fat), a liquid (milk, water or fruit juice), flavors and some form of leavening agent (such as yeast or baking powder), though many cakes lack these ingredients and instead rely on air bubbles in the dough to expand and cause the cake to rise. Cake is often frosted with buttercream or marzipan, and finished with piped borders and crystallized fruit.