A PLAN to extend the opening hours of Ashfield speedway track to allow Glasgow Tigers races to be televised has annoyed local residents.

In 1999, city councillors decided the football club ground in Hawthorn Street could be used for speedway for a year.

Two years later, planning bosses agreed the permanent use of the track with opening hours from 10am until 9.30pm from Monday to Friday, from 10am until 4pm on Saturday and from 1pm until 7pm on Sunday.

However, track bosses have now asked for the operating hours for both football and speedway to be extended by half an hour on week days and by six hours on Saturday and three hours on Sunday meaning it could operate until 10pm, seven days a week providing greater flexibility.

A report to city councillors says: “As speedway is a televised sport, the extension of the hours will assist in facilitating the broadcast of the sport on occasions when this is required.

“The speedway season currently runs from March to October, the current league season will see 12 home fixtures taking place at Ashfield though there is the possibility of additional fixtures in cup competitions.”

Stadium bosses have said speedway mainly operates on Sundays between 3-5pm but may also operate midweek from 7.30pm until 9.30pm to allow live television broadcasts.

The report adds: “The use of the site for football and speedway has been established, there are no physical alterations at the site and therefore the main consideration is the impact of the proposed extension of the hours.”

Planning bosses say the closest residential property is 30m to the east of the site which they consider to be a suitable buffer from the noise of the track.

They have suggested the extended operating hours should be approved for two years to assess the impact over the course of a full season.

But the plan has annoyed a group of local residents and three of the councillors representing the Canal ward.

They say allowing football and bike racing until 10pm for seven days a week will affect their amenity as a result of increased noise and light pollution.

Objectors are also worried the extended hours will lead to increased parking problems in the area and that the speedway generates dust.

The council report says: “There is continued opposition to the principle of the existing stadium use.

“Some of the objections raised appear to be based on existing tensions resulting from the established use of the stadium and the residential dwellings built at a later date.”

A spokesman for Glasgow Tigers said the bid to extend operating hours would allow races at the stadium to be televised.

He added: “Sky TV has not normally covered matches in Scotland but because of the redevelopment of the stadium and the good atmosphere they wanted to come to Ashfield.

“It would be a good thing for north Glasgow to get on the TV to promote the sport so the extended operating hours would give us the flexibility to do that.”