First look as plans for new Speedway stadium near Swindon submitted

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Plans for a new motorsports hub on Swindon's outskirts have been revealed and officially submitted to the council.

Swindon Motorsports has officially submitted a planning application to Wiltshire Council to build the new facility for Speedway races near Studley Grange and Junction 16 of the M4.

It includes plans for a speedway arena and karting track, refreshment and recreation areas, a complex of business units, and flexible parking.

The facility would be the new home for the Swindon Robins who have not been able to race at Abbey Stadium since the 2019 season ended.

If approved, the Studley Grange Motorsports Hub would feature a 330m speedway arena to host speedway racing and training - with improved access and amenity for visiting teams - as well as a specification karting circuit for recreational and competition use with a designated car park and observation area, covered terraces and seating, themed retail and entertainment, toilet facilities, and a small complex of business units providing office, meeting and workshop space aimed at start-up motorsport relateda enterprises.

The proposed hub (Image: Swindon Motorsport) The Grade 2 listed farmhouse would be restored and used as a meeting space associated with the business units.

For the many visitors expected to travel to the hub, there would be 200 permanent parking spaces, with overflow capacity for over 500 vehicles during large events, alongside a coach parking and drop-off point.

There would be eco-friendly sustainability and energy efficiency measures such as electrical vehicle charging infrastructure, repurposed shipping containers for all the new buildings to minimise embodied carbon, all-electric power, and fully insulated structures to improve energy efficiency.

Terry Russell, Chairman of Swindon Motorsports and Swindon Speedway, said: "After many years of tireless effort and determination from the Swindon Motorsports team, we are delighted to announce the formal submission of a planning application for Studley Grange Motorsports Hub.

Pit garages (Image: Swindon Motorsports) "The project team has worked incredibly hard to get to this stage and I personally wish to thank them and all of the local residents and speedway fans from across Swindon and Wiltshire who have engaged with us and submitted constructive feedback on how we can deliver a modern and sustainable home for motorsports racing in the South West.

"Our proposals represent the best, and only, chance of securing a return of speedway in Swindon and we call on all Robins supporters to back our application and let Wiltshire Council know that Swindon Needs Studley.

"Realistically, this is our last chance to provide the sport with a sustainable future in this region."

The project aims to support hundreds of jobs during construction and up to 56 full-time jobs associated with the business centre and karting operation, along with two more full-time jobs and 29 part-time jobs once the Speedway facility is operational.

Stand canopy (Image: Swindon Motorsports) It comes after Swindon Motorsports carried out public consultations, extensive technical assessments, and additional surveys before submitting the final version of the plans.

The consultation ran from January 29 to March 23 2025, with an exhibition event at Royal Wootton Bassett Memorial Hall on February 15 that was attended by more than 180 residents, local representatives, community groups, and interested parties.

Altogether, 84 per cent of respondents expressed strong support for the project and agreeing that the site location is suitable for a motorsports development.

Abbey Stadium has been surrounded by new housing estates and there were fears that it would become unusable for sporting events once the greyhound racing comes to an end later this year.

Although a new structure for the stadium was built near the roadside as part of an agreement with Swindon Borough Council, Gaming International has since submitted plans to build 130 homes on the site off Lady Lane, along with community facilities, shops, a community café, and leisure, sports and play facilities.

Business buildings (Image: Swindon Motorsports)

Campaign group Swindon Needs Speedway attempted to prevent this application from going any further by making the stadium an asset of community value.

But Swindon Borough Council turned this down because the group did not have links to the body controlling greyhound racing at the stadium, and could not produce evidence of its claim that the sport was set to continue there for five years.

Swindon Motorsports hopes that the new facility on a former waste site between Swindon and Royal Wootton Bassett will provide a suitable local space for the Speedway sport to continue.

Discussions are being held with potential partner organisations, including karting operators, local sports clubs, and community groups, to explore ways in which the development can deliver additional sport, leisure, and recreation opportunities locally.

A decision on the planning application is expected by the end of the year and if planning permission is granted, construction will begin in early 2026.

For more information, visit https://swindonmotorsports.co.uk or view the application on Wiltshire Council's website with the reference PL/2025/06229.