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MP lobbies Reading council over urgently needed repairs to Palmer Park Velodrome

Rob Wilson discovers cracks in track and damaged fencing as he tours facility with cycling clubs who use it

An MP has joined a Green councillor and two cycling clubs to press Reading Borough Council to carry out repairs to the Berkshire town’s Palmer Park Velodrome before a rider gets injured.

Reading East MP Rob Wilson visited the facility by Andy Pitt of Reading Velodrome Racing and Chris Macleod, who chairs the Palmer Park Velo youth cycling club, reports news website, Get Reading.

He was shown cracks in the surface of the 459-metre circuit which runs round the outside of an athletics track, as well as damage to the perimeter fencing, leaving nails exposed.

The council has been accused of undertaking the minimum repairs necessary, leaving the clubs members to carry out work themselves on a voluntary basis.

However they fear they may lose their insurance cover, arranged via British Cycling, on health and safety grounds, and that a rider may get hurt while using the track.

Mr Watson, who has been Conservative MP for Reading East since 2014 and in September became minister for civil society, called on the council to take “urgent action” to effect permanent repairs.

He said: “It’s such a shame that Reading Borough Council has let the Palmer Park Stadium cycle track fall into this state of disrepair.

“Sadly this has so often been the case with much-needed community facilities across the borough – swimming pools are another area where governance at RBC is really letting local people down.

“Thankfully Palmer Park Velo and Reading Velodrome Racing clubs have undertaken personally to complete the necessary remedial work.

“This has patched-up the track sufficiently to allow cyclists to continue to enjoy what is clearly a much-enjoyed facility.

“This is not a long-term solution however and in order to ensure the future of the track and the clubs that rely on it, urgent action is required from RBC.”

Last week, Green councillor Rob White, the party’s parliamentary candidate for Reading East, received a response from the council after he raised the issue of the state of repair of the velodrome.

The council told him that one of its contractors had inspected the site earlier this year and said no work was required.

“We have regular conversations with the club and they have periodically expressed concerns about the track surface,” said the council.

“Early this summer we arranged for a contractor to quote for repair work and their view was this was not necessary.

“We do periodically get the areas of the track repaired as with any surface this deteriorates. We have arranged for the contractors to revisit.

“We have also been in discussion with them about the track surround. We are expecting repairs to be undertaken to the track surround in the next few weeks.

“This includes replacement of most damaged boards, re-securing any loose ones and repairing the aluminium tops.”

The council added: “A programme of works are also being arranged to better control the vegetation around the track.

“This will ensure the track is appropriately maintained, it is however inevitable there will be some deterioration just from weather, time and the nature of the banking.”

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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4 comments

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othello | 8 years ago
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Good news! Palmer Park has passed a safety inspection and is now back open for racing.  1

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othello | 9 years ago
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As of yesterday, Palmer Park Velodrome is now closed due to failing a safety inspection from British Cycling.

The work mentioned in the article above has actually been done, but BC are requesting more changes, and without those all training and racing is now stopped.

Reading Track League and Palmer Park Velo have been provided with a list of changes to the track surround which would allow training only to continue, and these will hopefully be done in the next few days. But BC have yet to provide the complete list of work needed for the track to be signed off for racing. With the 2015 track league due to start in a few weeks, and a regional youth omnium round in May, things do not look good.

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tommyjz | 9 years ago
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Chris has taken some photos of the state of the velodrome which are worth a look

https://www.facebook.com/chris.macleod.58/media_set?set=a.10203952689989...

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othello | 9 years ago
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The council told him that one of its contractors had inspected the site earlier this year and said no work was required.

A lot of back-peddling and back-covering going on by RBC! I'm a coach at Palmer Park and the track has been deteriorating for a while now. The track surround has been in a dreadful state for 2 years and desperately needs attention. But that will take investment by RBC, and they have been cutting back on all sports infrastructure funding recently.

They say work will start in a couple of weeks. I'm not holding my breath!

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