A major step forward has been made in the battle to save the British Grand Prix, after councillors gave the green light to plans for a new pit and paddock complex to be built at Silverstone.
Courtesy of Wayne Bontoft and the Northampton Chronicle & Echo
Silverstone's bid to re-invent itself as a world-class venue for motorsport, education and high-technology development and preserve its status as the self-styled 'Home of the British Grand Prix' beyond the expiry of its current contract next year has received a significant boost.
The owners of the South Northamptonshire track, the British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC), revealed plans for a new £35 million pit and paddock complex back in March, and last night members of Aylesbury Vale District Council (AVDC) unanimously backed the scheme.
Under current proposals the pit and paddock complex - which Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has insisted must be substantially renovated if the track is to retain its grand prix status - would be moved from its current location between Woodcote and Copse to a new location between Club and Abbey.
Included in the plans are new garages, a race control building, media centre, hospitality and VIP spectator zones and a primary paddock. The proposals also involve creating a new pit straight, with re-organised entry and exit points, a reconfiguration of Club Corner and a new Abbey section.
The new construction is the first stage in a ten-year programme that will see a new manufacturer test centre, business park, extreme sport and leisure complex, two hotels, a new university campus and a 'Welcome Centre'. The development will help to ensure the UK remains at the forefront of the global motorsport industry.
"We are absolutely delighted that AVDC's planning committee have unanimously supported and voted in favour of this proposed milestone development," enthused Silverstone Circuit's managing director Richard Phillips. "This is a turning-point for Silverstone and a bold commitment towards the BRDC's support for motorsport in the UK and for retaining the British Grand Prix. The current programme provides for work to start on-site later this year."
"This is an exciting project that will help Silverstone retain the British Grand Prix and strengthen its international role as a world-class motorsport facility," concurred chairman of the council's development control committee, Councillor Michael Edmonds. "This is not just of local importance - it's of national importance. It's a wonderful building and will be a real asset to the entire country.
"We are very proud to have Silverstone in our district, and want to do all we can to promote both the circuit. Our aim is to help ensure Aylesbury Vale remains the home of Formula 1 in Great Britain."
Work is expected to start on the new building in October, with a predicted finishing date of spring, 2010. When it is completed, the new complex will be used exclusively for F1, with the current pits to remain in use for other events. The BRDC hopes to fund the development by selling land it owns around the track so that developers can build a business park, a distribution centre, two hotels and up to 190 houses.
Cllr Edmonds' views on the building - which will include garages for as many as 38 Formula 1 teams - were unanimously backed by members of the committee.
"I think it's a very exciting design and a real landmark building," affirmed Cllr Carole Paternoster. "What Silverstone lacks at the moment is something that says 'this is Silverstone', and I think this building will do that for us. It will say: This is Silverstone, the home of motor racing in Britain."
"It's a fantastic building," added Cllr Sue Polhill. "We'll be very proud to have a building like this, not only for the icon it is, but also for the fact that it's going to be the focus of world attention."
