THE man hoping to save Oxford Stadium has told the developer to name its price.

Galliard abandoned its attempt to demolish the stadium and replace it with 220 homes earlier this month and put the stadium up for lease.

But Nick Budimir has been working with Oxfordshire landowner Robert Tyrrell to buy the Sandy Lane greyhound stadium and says he has enquired about taking it on.

And he has said Galliard’s terms are so unattractive that he walked away.

Mr Budimir, a friend of football manager Harry Redknapp, said: “They quoted £250,000 for Oxford Stadium and that’s for a two-year period.

“We have tried to buy the stadium twice and we are at the point now where we have asked them to name their price. I think we will be getting a price soon.

“Renting the stadium is not going to work. No-one is going to go on there on a two or three-year lease with the amount of work that needs to be done on the stadium.

“I would take it with a 99-year lease but they won’t go so long.”

Galliard was hoping to demolish the stadium and replace it with 220 homes, but this was rejected by Oxford City Council and was due to go to a planning appeal.

Since rejecting the planning application the city council has designated the stadium as a conservation area, giving it further protection.

Mr Budimir, who once owned a greyhound with QPR boss Redknapp, said he was concerned that Galliard is attempting to lease the stadium for a short period of time before selling it or attempting to develop it again.

Together with Mr Tyrrell, he says he has submitted seven-figure bids for the stadium, but these have been rejected.

Despite Galliard walking away from its attempts to bulldoze the stadium, campaigners are still raising money for a “fighting fund” in case it is needed. They have already raised £6,000 and say the money will be kept in case they need it to fight future planning attempts.

On Thursday they are holding a golf day and charity auction – featuring prizes such as a signed Paul Gascoigne shirt and a box at Ascot – to raise more funds.

Ian Sawyer of the Save Oxford Stadium campaign said: “We have set up the fund because we think we will need it to fight the next set of plans. Unfortunately I think this will be a long game.”

City council leader Bob Price said: “The city council has always felt the best option would be for the site to be sold to a leisure operator to return it to its former glory and to provide the facilities which the campaign has shown are needed and very strongly supported across the county.”

The stadium was opened in 1939 by Lord Denham and was used for greyhound racing and speedway.

Greyhound racing at the stadium stopped in December 2012 when owners, the Greyhound Racing Association, said it that was no longer financially viable to hold the events there.

Michelle Adcock, a spokeswoman for CBRE, which is marketing the site, said the stadium remains on the market for lease.

She said: “There have been a number of interested parties in the site and discussions are ongoing, however we are confident of securing a successful tenant in the coming months.”

Due to the interest in the site, CBRE has asked bidders to provide information such as how the transaction would be funded, a proposed rent, the timetable for the transaction and the terms of the lease by Monday, June 9.

Commercial property agent Mike Watson, of Cluttons, said the stadium was difficult to value because there was not much to compare it to.

He said: “It would require a lot of research and be based on certain factors.

“For instance, what conditions there are on existing leaseholders and its development potential.”

Galliard was asked to comment on the terms it was asking for, but it declined to do so.

Oxford Mail:

Criteria for lease

  • Terms of lease required
  • Proposed rent
  • Proposed price (if applicable)
  • Conditions
  • Due diligence
  • Financing (how the transaction will be funded)
  • Approvals
  • Proposed timetable
  • Deposit

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