Decline and Closure
In 1984 a nightclub called Charlie Chan's was opened within the foundations of the clocktower. It closed permanently in November 2007. It could be said that if a person from the East End of London refers to "going down the dogs", they were probably going to the dog track at Walthamstow or Romford Greyhound Stadium. There were once 33 greyhound tracks in London, but only Romford, Wimbledon and Crayford remain, after Catford closed in 2003. The directors of Walthamstow Stadium Limited have agreed to the sale of the Company’s freehold property at Walthamstow Stadium to a development consortium led by London and Quadrant. Formal contracts have been exchanged and completion is expected on or before 1 September 2008. The final race was held during Meeting 152 on Saturday 16 August 2008 at 23:00, the winner being No. 2 'Mountjoy Diamond'. Numerous attempts to buy or lease the stadium back from developers have been made but have so far been unsuccessful. On 8 May 2012 the application for housing on the site was approved by four votes to three, the councillors who voted for the plans were Jenny Gray (Leytonstone ward, Labour), Asim Mahmood (Markhouse, Labour), Ebony Vincent (Markhouse, Labour) and committee chair Peter Barnett (Wood Street, Labour). Those who voted against were Ed Northover (Larkswood, Conservative), Alan Siggers (Valley, Conservative) and Liz Phillips (Cann Hall, Liberal Democrat). On 30 October 2012 Mayor of London Boris Johnson approved the plans for housing.
Read more about this topic: Walthamstow Stadium
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