AN ONLINE petition calling for Wrexham’s Racecourse ground to be protected will be presented to the council next week.
More than 8,500 people have signed the e-petition which calls for the stadium to be “clearly identified in the LDP (local development plan) as an area which is protected and reserved for leisure activities.”
They are particularly concerned about its role as the football stadium in North Wales for hosting international sporting events and major cultural programmes.”
Organisers from the Red Passion website set a target of 10,500 signatures – one name for every seat in the stadium.
But they will submit it early next week so it can be considered at a meeting of the local authority’s full council.
A spokesman for the campaign said: “We will present it in the first instance to all members of the full council of Wrexham Council.
“Their next meeting is on December 14. We need to submit this to Trevor Coxon the chief legal and democratic officer by noon on Wednesday, December 9.
“Cllr Gwyneth Roberts (whose ward includes The Racecourse) has been asked to present the covering letter in hard copy and the list of signatories will be sent in electronically.”
He continued: “We understand from our sight of the first draft policy wording that The Racecourse is to be included in the LDP draft deposit, which will be submitted for final approval by the executive board of the council in February 2010.
“It will then go out to the planning inspector appointed by the Welsh Assembly and he/she will be responsible to initiate the six weeks public consultation for the deposit LDP.”
A second updated petition – which organisers hope will have the target 10,500 signatures – will then be submitted next year to a planning inspector appointed by the Welsh Assembly.