Campaigners are calling for the greyhound racing track to be removed from plans for the new Abbey Stadium.

Swindon Borough Council's planning committee will decide on Tuesday whether to allow the redesign of stadium in Blunsdon, which hosts both speedway and dog racing.

And members of campaign group Stop Swindon Greyhound Racing will be outside as they go in and hope to address the meeting.

They want the councillors to add a ban dog racing, although the chairman of the planning committee says that’s impossible under planning law.

Stephanie Poyntz is the founder of the group. She said: “We’re all in favour of the speedway, but we’d want councillors to condition that it can’t be used for greyhound racing.

“Having a greyhound racing stadium in the town when most other towns and cities turned away from them decades ago does not help the poor perception of Swindon.”

The group’s objections to racing focus on the welfare of the dogs. It claims dogs that don’t run well, or suffer a minor injury or are nearing the end of their career are often treated badly, discarded or put down.

Ms Poyntz added: “Most people don’t know much about it and think, as I once did, that the dogs are all well looked after and go to loving homes after they have finished racing.”

A spokesman for stadium owner Gaming International said: “As a licensed stadium we strictly adhere to the rules of racing and fully support the Greyhound Board of Great Britain in delivering the greyhound commitment, a series of pledges which sets out how our sport and industry should be run with welfare at its heart.

"As with any licensed stadium, every greyhound that races at our track is checked by an experienced vet both before and after racing to ensure they are fully fit and healthy.”

Planning committee chairman Tim Swinyard added: “Greyhound racing is a matter for licensing, not the planning committee.

“We have to consider the application on planning grounds only and if we put in conditions to prevent a legal, licensed activity, which already has permission there, that would easily be overturned on appeal, with all the costs of that being borne by the council.

“It’s just not something we can consider.”