Gambon Street? Project reportedly afoot to turn Top Gear test track into housing development
Come on, England: Leave Top Gear alone. We know they can make a lot of noise and take away air time from your precious Antiques Roadshow, but deep down inside you know you love them as much as we do. And don't try to deny it: the ratings don't lie. So isn't it about time everyone just leave Jeremy Clarkson & Co. to do what they do best in peace and calm?
The local townsfolk and big business are at it again, arguing over a new residential development that's slated to be built on the Dunsfold Aerodrome. We know, who cares, right? Well, the Dunsfold Aerodrome has another name: the Top Gear test track. Yeah, you're listening now. Real estate development firm Rutland Group is planning a 2,600-home eco-village on the property with a loan secured from the Royal Bank of Scotland. Locals are organizing against the plan, but to make things just a tad more complicated, RBS was recently nationalized by the British government, making this a political issue as well. Considering that the BBC (which produces Top Gear) is also a crown corporation, this is bound to get messy.
[Source: UTV]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
akboss302 10:36AM (6/09/2009)
Why doesn't the BBC just buy the property? This show makes a gazillion dollars every season, you'd think it would be worth their investment to try everything they can to keep it working for them. Or just build a newer, better track.
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Will 10:42AM (6/09/2009)
Buying it may be a good idea. They can't just go build a "newer, better track" because the times on the new track wouldn't mean anything compared to the old track. I hope they are able to keep it. Best show on television.
Cristatus 10:53AM (6/09/2009)
It's because the BBC is a government company (did you even read the post?). Technically, the BBC doesn't advertise (it does during breaks between shows, but there's no other breaks, and even then, it's mostly public messages, or advertising of it's own programs).
So, basically, the BBC is not making any money. It's just using government money to provide a facility of enjoyment. I'm not sure where you, akboss302, got the idea that "[the] show makes a gazillion dollars every season".
MikeofLA 11:16AM (6/09/2009)
Ahhh, but the show does make money on BBC America, where it's cut up, stitched back together and commercialized. Maybe not a Gazillion dollars, but i'm sure it makes a good mint.
Anyway, didn't we build too many homes already?!
Sam 11:22AM (6/09/2009)
Why would they buy property when they were turned down planning permission to turn it onto a race track?
akboss302 11:58AM (6/09/2009)
Cristatus, do you have any idea how the BBC works? I would say having 60 million television set owners across the UK paying up to £100 to license their TV would be considered a money maker, but that's just me. And if Top Gear has 4-5 million viewers then I'd say in part they are in part responsible for a lot of money as well.
matthewgerber 10:53AM (6/09/2009)
Sure, go ahead and build your little "eco-village".
But if you think the neighbors complain about the noise now, wait until Stig is pumping a Veyron through their parking lot!
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Redeemed 10:56AM (6/09/2009)
"Real estate development firm Rutland Group is planning a 2,600-home eco-village on the property"
On one hand you have people wanting to develop a "green" property. On the other, a TV show that uses the property to test gas guzzling super cars spewing all kinds of toxic emissions. I'm sure the developers will rub that in Top Gear's face during their self righteous argument on why their plan should move forward.
These kinds of battles are going to become more and more common as the "green" agenda is forced on us, whether we want it or not.
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Scorch 11:08AM (6/09/2009)
Yep. All they had to do was metion the words "green" and "eco" and the politically incorrect Top Gear argument is sunk. It's a shame the green agenda takes priority over everything else now. It's going to set up some real scary eminent domain cases.
John Johnson 10:57AM (6/09/2009)
Let 'em do it. But don't change the location of the Test Track. Sure, there may be one or two tickets written, but street circuits are my fav.
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aclatworthy 11:00AM (6/09/2009)
Top Gear itself does make a lot of money, but very little of that goes towards the BBC. In addition, buying the track would not be worth it just to keep some lap times valid. A patch of land like that in Surrey is worth a hell of a lot of money. It's no wonder they're looking to sell it on.
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jon 11:00AM (6/09/2009)
i always thought the scenery at the test track was a bit droll... its gonna spice things up when jeremy has to powerslide past pedestrians and the stig revs up at full throttle while people are trying to have a calm meal with their families. ive thought of a new segment if they keep the test track at this new development: top gear stunt man tries to jump a row of houses!
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Eric Liberatore 11:03AM (6/09/2009)
(Somewhat related...) I seem to remember that Gran Turismo or somebody was suppose to reproduce the Top Gear test track in their game. Whatever happened to that?
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Farris 11:18AM (6/09/2009)
I think the test track is in GT4 or GT5.
If Top Gear DOES lose the property, I guarantee they'll visit the about once or twice a series just to raise hell.
Sam 11:21AM (6/09/2009)
Do you have idiots writing on Autoblog?
"We know they can make a lot of noise and take away air time from your precious Antiques Roadshow, "
They are on DIFFERENT CHANNELS.
That plain and simple enough for you?
Besides, Top Gear test track was going to be moving anyway to a purpose built identical track somewhere in the midlands due to planning person being turned down to turn the Aerodrome into a "proper" track.
Or didn't you know that?
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Jon 2:17PM (6/11/2009)
...actually I think you're the idiot.
That statement was CLEARLY satirical, and not neccesarily entirely factual. If you're too ignorant to understand that, then it's your loss I'm afraid.
And yes, they're on different 'channels' but it's all the same network. There's nothing to stop the BBC swapping programs from BBC One to BBC Two to fill empty airtime, and so if you REALLY want to look at it in such an objective way, then yes you could argue that Top Gear is stealing the Antiques Roadshow's airtime.
If you really wanted to make a pointless argument against what Autoblog said, then you missed a glaringly obvious misrepresentation - most of England loves Top Gear, contrary to what's said above.
That patronising enough for you?
krische 11:22AM (6/09/2009)
Where is top gear dog in that picture?
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tankd0g 11:36AM (6/09/2009)
Sleeping, or dead. No one is really sure.
Brad 1:59PM (6/09/2009)
Some say he's just playing dead.....or is he?
BigTeebo 11:32AM (6/09/2009)
Um, isn't the Top Gear test track next to an airport? I'm going to assume the sound of taking off/landing planes is much more noisy than anything the Stig can muster up. Housing right next to an airport typically isn't the world's greatest idea.
Cue the "let's make the TG test track a historic landmark" idea so it can't be torn down.
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