Council set to sign new deal to secure the future of Harborough's Showground

A meeting was called after concerns that the land would be lost to the district
Harborough council is poised to secure the new deal for the Showground on Gallow Field Road until 2024 after leader Cllr Phil King held crunch talks with the landowners on Friday (January 29).Harborough council is poised to secure the new deal for the Showground on Gallow Field Road until 2024 after leader Cllr Phil King held crunch talks with the landowners on Friday (January 29).
Harborough council is poised to secure the new deal for the Showground on Gallow Field Road until 2024 after leader Cllr Phil King held crunch talks with the landowners on Friday (January 29).

The future of a “priceless powerhouse” 75-acre events site on the outskirts of Market Harborough looks set to be nailed down for at least the next three years.

Harborough council is poised to secure the new deal for the Showground on Gallow Field Road until 2024 after leader Cllr Phil King held crunch talks with the landowners on Friday (January 29).

But Cllr Phil Knowles, who “smoked out” the prickly issue of the 75-acre economic asset’s future last October, said he is still very worried that it will then be lost to the district.

He spoke out after Cllr King, who leads the council, said: “The Showground in Market Harborough is a hugely important asset to the district.

“I am pleased to say that myself, and the council's Director of Planning & Regeneration, David Atkinson, had a very productive meeting with the joint-landowners William Davis/ Hallam Land Management and the current Showground operator, Leicestershire Agricultural Society on Friday.”

The Conservative council chief added: “I welcome the announcement by the joint landowners, that a new three-year lease is on offer and hopefully to be agreed over the coming weeks with the operator.

“Part of the discussions was about how Harborough District Council can support the operator to continue to host high-profile events in the future when they are able to and about how the longer-term future of this important visitor attraction can be secured."

But Cllr Knowles, who heads up the Liberal Democrats on Harborough council, told the Harborough Mail: “The outcome of this meeting raises far more questions than it comes up with answers.

“I warmly welcome the fact that we appear to have tied down the Showground for the next three years.

“But what happens after that?

“Will we lose it then?

“Who knows because we haven’t been told.”

The long-serving Great Bowden councillor said two critical issues are hovering over the whole saga like a big black cloud.

“Firstly, how did we end up in this situation?

“Did nobody at the council see this coming?

“Secondly, what guarantees will we be given that the Showground will be protected after 2024,” said Cllr Knowles.

“Or could we see hundreds of houses suddenly being built on there?

“I have urgently asked our officers for a copy of the original Section 106 agreement hammered out by the council with the landowners.

“I’ve been told that the landowners would have to find a new 75-acre site for us if they decided to go ahead and build.

“But that there’s no requirement for that to be based here in Harborough – or even in Leicestershire.

“So what use would that be to us?

“So we quickly need to understand what’s happening here and we have to know where we all stand.”

He said he was still furious that he was “blocked” from attending Friday’s virtual meeting by Cllr King.

“I am very angry because this was in danger of vanishing under the radar until I raised its ugly head in the Harborough Mail.

“Four council officers tuned in to this get-together on Friday along with Phil King, the landowners and the agricultural society.

“So why couldn’t they find room for me too?

“I’m extremely frustrated that I had so many questions to ask – and I couldn’t ask any of them.

“It’s undemocratic.

“Democracy has to be done – and seen to be done.

“The Showground is the jewel in Harborough’s crown – it’s a massive powerhouse asset,” said Cllr Knowles.

“It’s an absolutely brilliant site and the events there bring thousands of people from all over the East Midlands into Market Harborough.

“It drives so much footfall into our pubs, shops, restaurants, hotels and other businesses.

“And it will be right at the centre of our bid to bounce back from this shattering Covid pandemic.

“It’s going to take years to get back on our feet again after the last terrible year.

“The Showground will be a vital springboard as local businesses battle to come back from the brink – it will be a pivotal catalyst for our success.”

A spokeswoman for William Davis Homes and Hallam Land Management, which jointly own the prime chunk of land, said:

“We can confirm that the landowners, Leicestershire Agricultural Society and Harborough District Council held a constructive virtual meeting on Friday 29th January and that as a result, discussions will continue with the Agricultural Society with an aim to agree mutually acceptable terms to enter into a lease for a further three years.

“However, these discussions are confidential and regretfully therefore no further information is available at this time.”